Basic Computer Terms You Should Know Before Buying a PC
Have you decided to get rid of that old paperweight and buy yourself a new computer? Good for you but before you go running out to buy the latest and greatest machine, there are some basic computer terms you should know. We will run through each of these terms for you and what they mean.
When you are looking to buy a computer you will hear basic computer terms like the following:
The Processor
This is the brain of your computer. It can also be referred to as the CPU.
Processors come in many different varieties. Processor speed is termed as clock
speed measured in gigahertz or GHz. more the value of GHZ the faster the
computer.
I am now using a 3.06 GHz Intel® dual coreTM i3 processor. Processors can also have dual or quad cores. This is essentially two or four processors in one respectively. The more cores the better but they will also be more expensive. We will also see terms like Core Duo, Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, and i7. It is important to know the differences between these options.
The Core Duo consists of two cores on one die but the Core 2 Duo is a more modern processor that is found in a lot of new PCs. the Core 2 Duo has two dies. Then the i3 processor is a recent release by Intel for new home machines. Then the i5 and i7 are used with quad core processors and higher end machines. The i7 is the top of this line and obviously the most expensive.
There are different brands of processors like Intel or AMD and different levels of processors like the Pentium 4 or the Atom. The Atom processor is a much slower processor used in notebooks.
I am now using a 3.06 GHz Intel® dual coreTM i3 processor. Processors can also have dual or quad cores. This is essentially two or four processors in one respectively. The more cores the better but they will also be more expensive. We will also see terms like Core Duo, Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, and i7. It is important to know the differences between these options.
The Core Duo consists of two cores on one die but the Core 2 Duo is a more modern processor that is found in a lot of new PCs. the Core 2 Duo has two dies. Then the i3 processor is a recent release by Intel for new home machines. Then the i5 and i7 are used with quad core processors and higher end machines. The i7 is the top of this line and obviously the most expensive.
There are different brands of processors like Intel or AMD and different levels of processors like the Pentium 4 or the Atom. The Atom processor is a much slower processor used in notebooks.
The RAM
The RAM or memory is what your computer uses to store information while you
are using the computer. I am using Transcend 4 GB DDR3 Ram .This can also be
referred to as Random Access Memory. I personally would not buy a computer with
less than 2 GB of RAM. Your RAM Bus speed will need to be identical to your FSB
speed as to not create bottlenecks. In a pre-built system this is not something
you need to worry about but if you are building your own system then you will
want to get memory that matches the FSB speed divided by the number of cores
that you have. For example if your system has a total FSB of 1600 and you have
4 cores (quad) then your RAM Bus speed should be 400 MHz.
The optical drive in your computer should be able to read and write CDs and DVDs. If you have not purchased a computer in a while some of the newer options might seem strange to you. You can have any one of these or a combination of these formats: DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-+R, DVD-/+RW, DVD-RAM, Blu-ray, HD-DVD. A CD holds 700 MB. A CD-R can read and write to a CD. A CDRW can read write and rewrite to a CD.
If you are getting a DVD burner you should try and get a drive that writes in all formats such as +R or -R. They will all play in your computer but some other hardware might require one of these formats. A DVD can hold About 4 GB of data. A DVD burner that allows you to burn a DL or dual layer will allow for double the capacity and can fit about 8 GB of data on it. A dual layer drive is required as well as dual layered media.
Then we see the newer formats like Blu-Ray and HD-DVD that allow you to burn and watch high definition videos or store even more data. A Blu-Ray disk can hold a whopping 25 GB in a single layer and 50 GB if the disk is dual layered. HD-DVD disks can hold up to 15 GB of data but I really do not see many systems or people using this format.
Optical Drive
The optical drive in your computer should be able to read and write CDs and DVDs. If you have not purchased a computer in a while some of the newer options might seem strange to you. You can have any one of these or a combination of these formats: DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-+R, DVD-/+RW, DVD-RAM, Blu-ray, HD-DVD. A CD holds 700 MB. A CD-R can read and write to a CD. A CDRW can read write and rewrite to a CD.
If you are getting a DVD burner you should try and get a drive that writes in all formats such as +R or -R. They will all play in your computer but some other hardware might require one of these formats. A DVD can hold About 4 GB of data. A DVD burner that allows you to burn a DL or dual layer will allow for double the capacity and can fit about 8 GB of data on it. A dual layer drive is required as well as dual layered media.
Then we see the newer formats like Blu-Ray and HD-DVD that allow you to burn and watch high definition videos or store even more data. A Blu-Ray disk can hold a whopping 25 GB in a single layer and 50 GB if the disk is dual layered. HD-DVD disks can hold up to 15 GB of data but I really do not see many systems or people using this format.
Wireless Network Card
If your computer has a wireless card you will be able to access the Internet
without a wire connecting you to a router/modem. Wireless cards are rated by
their speed.
The lowest speed starts from A and goes up through N. You will want to buy a computer with a 802.11G or 802.11N wireless connection. 802.11g can see speeds of up to 54 Mbit/s. And with 802.11n the newest iteration of wireless we can achieve 600 Mbit/s. I am using a 802.11n router personally but most of my equipment and peripherals use 802.11g. I find this to be fine for streaming video or audio and transferring files over my home network. But if you are constantly transferring huge files or folders you might want to jump right into the 802.11n game.
The lowest speed starts from A and goes up through N. You will want to buy a computer with a 802.11G or 802.11N wireless connection. 802.11g can see speeds of up to 54 Mbit/s. And with 802.11n the newest iteration of wireless we can achieve 600 Mbit/s. I am using a 802.11n router personally but most of my equipment and peripherals use 802.11g. I find this to be fine for streaming video or audio and transferring files over my home network. But if you are constantly transferring huge files or folders you might want to jump right into the 802.11n game.
Network Card
Your computer should have an Ethernet port on it. This port will allow you
to physically connect to the internet or your internal network by plugging it
into your router / modem.
Normally any machine you will buy now has a Gigabit connection. Gigabit is represented as 100/1000 and there are also 10/100 connections. That number is how many megabits you can transfer per second.
Normally any machine you will buy now has a Gigabit connection. Gigabit is represented as 100/1000 and there are also 10/100 connections. That number is how many megabits you can transfer per second.
Operating System
This is the software that makes your computer go. You can buy a computer
with the Windows 7 or 8 any flavor of Ubuntu Linux as well. Windows 8 is good
for touch screen pc. You can choose windows 7. Different versions are home premium, home basic, professional, Ultimate.
I am using windows 7 ultimate.
You can also buy a computer without an operating system to install it yourself. This is the key part of your system as well as normally the most expensive. But, if you choose Ubuntu or another flavor of Linux then your operating system is free.
You can also buy a computer without an operating system to install it yourself. This is the key part of your system as well as normally the most expensive. But, if you choose Ubuntu or another flavor of Linux then your operating system is free.
Hard Drive
This is where you will store all your files whether it be music, movies or
word documents. You will need a hard drive to store them on.
Seagate and WD (Western Digitals) are most famous companies and are good.
Hard drives are rated by size and speed. These are available in two different speed, that is 7200RPM and 5400 RPM. More the speed of HDD you can access fast.
If you need more space you should get a bigger drive or you can buy a portable USB hard drive to attach to your computer. Normally 500GB is used maximum 1TB is used..
Seagate and WD (Western Digitals) are most famous companies and are good.
Hard drives are rated by size and speed. These are available in two different speed, that is 7200RPM and 5400 RPM. More the speed of HDD you can access fast.
If you need more space you should get a bigger drive or you can buy a portable USB hard drive to attach to your computer. Normally 500GB is used maximum 1TB is used..
Video Card
This is the part of your computer that allows you to show what you are
doing. Without a video card you would not be able to see what you are doing on
your monitor. Normally it is already built-in in mother board.
Different video cards have different abilities like the option to use multiple monitors, have a HDMI output or even the ability to watch HD movies on your computer. This has never been important to me and I always take whatever is available. Some examples of good video card brands are MSI, XFX, Asus, Gigabyte.
Your video card does have to connect to your monitor so make sure they have a VGA, DVI or HDMI port in common.
There are also computer components like the monitor, keyboard and mouse but we’re pretty sure that you’re familiar with those basic computer terms.
Now, you have a basic knowledge of what you are looking for start shopping around. The best deals are found online.
Different video cards have different abilities like the option to use multiple monitors, have a HDMI output or even the ability to watch HD movies on your computer. This has never been important to me and I always take whatever is available. Some examples of good video card brands are MSI, XFX, Asus, Gigabyte.
Your video card does have to connect to your monitor so make sure they have a VGA, DVI or HDMI port in common.
There are also computer components like the monitor, keyboard and mouse but we’re pretty sure that you’re familiar with those basic computer terms.
Now, you have a basic knowledge of what you are looking for start shopping around. The best deals are found online.
Monitor
There
are three types of monitor namely CRT, LCD and LED. But CRT(cathode ray tube)
monitors are disappearing in markets. LCD and LED are all same but only change
in backlight. In LCD Florescent lamps are used, but in LED it is done by LED
lamps. LED monitor is most preferable because it has more moving angle.
The next thing to select is aspect ratio.
Monitors are available in 16:9 and 4:3 .
The old monitors have aspect ratio 4:3.
But the HD videos are in 16:9 ratio. So 16:9 ratio is preferable. 
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