There are a lot of
options when choosing the right computer. With modern technology always
improving and updating it might be a little bit hard to find the right computer for you.
There are many uses a computer can serve. From business to schooling to gaming
to editing movies or complex pictures, it’s obvious that a good, well-built
computer will be needed. So how do you find the right one?
There are many different components in a computer. They
all function differently to complete the process of receiving, storing, and
sending information from and to the user. When selecting a computer, the first
step is to ponder what kind of things the computer will be used for. Once it
has been determined, you must look at the four basic options: CPU, RAM, Video
Processor (or GPU) and Storage.
CPU,
Processor; Process
A processor (or CPU), contains the logic circuitry
that performs the instructions of computer programs. The CPU is like a car
engine. The bigger the car engine, the faster the car. So it is with a CPU. The
bigger the CPU, the faster the computer; and the more complicated the software
programs need a bigger, faster processor.
The CPU is the brain, messenger, and boss. All the
other components exist only to bridge the gap between you and the processor.
They take your data input and turn it over to the processor to manipulate and
then the components display the result. The
standard has been a 32-bit processor. Since the introduction of the 64-bit
processors, they are gaining popularity quickly. Keep in mind that if you do
not have specialized needs or want a lot of system RAM, a 32-bit will probably
work for you. The trick is to analyze how you use your computer. If you use
your computer for email, watching DVDs, storing photos, surfing the web,
listening to music, and word processing, a 32-bit, 1 GHz dual core processor
would probably be fine. If you love high-end gaming, edit videos, use Photoshop,
or draw using software such as Illustrator, you may want to invest in a
higher-end processor. Keep in mind that most new computers are equipped with
64-bit.
Random
Access Memory, RAM ; Memory
Before your computer can respond to your input, it
must move the software programs from storage to RAM. The files you want to work
on must also be stored in RAM in order for you to manipulate the data. Random
access memory also plays a part in how fast your computer reacts to commands
you give it. When you bring up a software program, the program is loaded into
RAM which gives it to the processor. RAM is measured in gigabytes (GB).
With the Windows operating system, the amount of
RAM that you have can really make a major difference in the speed and
usefulness of your system. The minimum that you should consider, considering
the current requirements of Windows 7 is 2GB.
If you can afford the extra cost, (about $60 -$120
in most cases) you would be benefit by having 4GB in your system. Many of the
new high-end computers offer upgrades to 6GB. With the ever increasing size of
software packages, the speed and access gains need to be weighed according to
how you use your computer. Sometimes what you really pay for are some
"bragging rights" about your macho computer.
If you price out RAM sticks, prices for 1GB for a
desktop start at around $25 and 2GB for around $45. If you buy them in pairs,
they are a little cheaper. Modern computers require memory of the same brand
and model in either pairs or sets of three (dual or triple channel).
Video
Card; Processing
A video card is part of the output chain where the
monitor is the component that displays the result. Some experts list it as an
output device. Here is how it works. In order for your monitor to display a
picture, it needs something to translate the ones and zeros to something
meaningful. This takes place on the graphics card. When the CPU and software
applications sends information to the graphics card about an image, the
graphics card decides how to use the pixels on the screen to create the image.
It then forwards that information to the monitor through a cable.
Video cards are expansion cards whose function is to
generate and output images to display. They can render 3D scenes and 2D
graphics, TV output, or connect multiple monitors. The high end video cards are
used for PC games and commonly use high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI)
or DVI (digital video interface) connections.
The current standard on-board graphics with 64-256
MB of graphics memory is adequate for most general use. If you anticipate heavy
graphic usage for image editing or playing games on your computer or you are
wanting to use the new features of Windows 7, you will want to consider the
more robust video cards now on the market (at least 256Mb). Even a high end
card using the fastest chips and up to 1.2 GB of memory can be purchased for
less than $300, so adding a serious video card is not out of the question for
most serious computer buyers.
These new video cards can support resolutions in
excess of 2400 x 1400+ pixels at refresh rates up to 240 MHz for 3D gaming
systems with steroscopic 3D glasses.
Hard
Disks; Storage
The hard drive is the main storage for your
computer. The disks are hard, thin, magnetically coated platters. The disks are
sealed within a metal housing to protect the read/write heads from dust
particles that could block the gap between the heads and the platters. When you
instruct the software to read or write a file, the software instructs the
operating system of your intent and the operating system checks the file
allocation table (FAT). FAT keeps a record of the location of the clusters that
make up all of the files on the drive. If you are saving a file, the file
allocation table finds the location of the first available cluster where the
file can be stored. The file can be scattered over hundreds of separate
clusters. To read or write a file, the processor passes that command along with
the file's name to the drive's disk controller. If you want to retrieve or save
a document, the controller instructs the heads to move across the disk's
surfaces to begin the process. If you are saving a file, the heads write the
data that is coming down from the disk controller to the platters by aligning
the magnetic fields of particles on the platters' surfaces then sends the
information back to the file allocation table, where it records a list of the
file's clusters. If you are retrieving a file, the heads read the data by
detecting the polarities of particles that have already been aligned.
Software applications just keep getting larger and
larger and consuming more and more drive space on computers. You also need to
consider how many graphics files you may want to store. Graphic files are
typically large. The smallest hard drive to even consider, even in a used unit,
would be 160 Gigabytes. It is nearly impossible to purchase a new unit now
with a hard drive of less than 320GB. The high-end computers begin about 500
GB. If you have a large music collection or are doing a great deal of graphics
work and are storing large graphic files on your computer's hard drive, a
higher end drive is something that you should consider. The huge storage drives
(600+GB) once thought to be overkill for most users are rapidly becoming a
consideration if you store video, audio, graphics, and other storage consuming
files. The spin rate also improves the performance of the hard drive. The old
spin rate of 5400 rpm has been increased to 7200 rpm drive. The new benchmarks
are drives that can spin at 10-15,000 rpm and deliver transfer rates as high as
6GB per second. With the current speed of processors, the real slow-poke of the
computer is the hard drive. This is where extra money spent on faster drives
can make a valuable improvement in your system's overall speed.
A new technology, Solid State Drives (SSD), is
unlike the other types and doesn't have moving components. Instead of spinning
parts, SSDs use semiconductors; thus, they are much faster and are less likely
to break down. They are, however, more expensive than other hard disks.
You will want to purchase a good quality drive that
will not cause you problems in the near future. Both the speed of the drive
(measured in access time) and the speed of the bus interface (SCSCI, SATA,
etc.) can make a significant difference in how long you have to wait for your
programs to load and execute. Depending on where you purchase a hard drive, a
320 GB hard can be purchased as low as $50. If the speed of your system is of
great concern to you, you will want to consider the hard drive that spins at
10,000 rpm. They begin at about $150.
A second hard drive is often useful for storing data
separate from applications. Since hard drives are relatively inexpensive,
(starting at less than $100 and going upward) you may want to strongly consider
this option. If you have two drives and one is faster than the other, you will
want to use the fastest drive to store your application software and the slower
drive to store the data. The system is constantly reading from the application
drive and using the faster drive here will help improve the overall speed of
your system.
CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray, USBs, and External Drives; Storage
What medium will you use to store your files, photos, and other data? What medium do you plan to use to backup the data on your hard drive? You have many options: CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray, USBs, and external drives. Take time to analyze how critical your files, photos, data files are to you, how hard they would be to replace, how much storage space do you need, and a place to keep all of them safe.
Multimedia
Joystick elements: 1. Stick 2. Base 3. Trigger 4. Extra buttons 5. Autofire switch 6. Throttle 7. Hat Switch (POV Hat) 8. Suction Cup
Joystick, gaiming mouse and speakers
If you are a gamer, enjoy music, or both, you will most likely want to consider adding speakers and/or a joystick or gaming mouse to your computer so that you can take advantage of the games and music that are available on the Internet and disks.
You can find a fairly good joystick for under $50 and PC speakers (depending on the quality you choose) from $50 to $200. But, like with everything else, you can spend a lot more for specialized equipment.
The availability of interesting and exciting games make having multimedia gaming hardware more enticing to own. You can even compete online over the Internet with people from all over the world.
Web Camera
A web camera is a video device that connects your computer generally using USB port to capture images that can be sent over the internet. You can use them with popular sites like Skype to chat and be able to see each other while you chat. Their prices begin at about $15.
There are more things
that you can do to upgrade and improve your computer. These are all as follows:
Motherboard;
Process
A motherboard is the main printed circuit board
(PCB) and is like a communications center that contains the connectors for
crucial components of the system such as the CPU, RAM, ROM, and other
peripheral devices, etc. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as
the system board, main board (PC terms), or logic board (Apple).The motherboard
sends power, data, and instructions to all of the computer's components. Even
the ports rely on the motherboard to provide data and instructions over the
cables running from the connectors. This is all done using electrical traces
printed onto and within the resin and plastic sheets holding all the
motherboard components. The traces make up the data bus. If you were building a computer from scratch
or replacing parts, you must make sure the motherboard supports the CPU and
memory you choose. If you upgrade your computer, you must keep in mind the
limitations your motherboard may have.
Cores
You will also hear about cores. Cores indicate the
number of processors in the CPU. Again, today's computers can have two, four,
or more cores. Comparing it to a car, that is like having more than one engine
under the hood. If your computer has more than one core, the processor can run
more data simultaneously. Keep in mind, however, that most programs are still
not optimized for multiple cores. So spending a premium for a processor with
many cores may not buy you the speed you thought you were getting.
Even if you are purchasing a used system as a
starter, do not settle for anything older than a Pentium 4 2 GHz processor. You
will probably only be able to run Windows XP on this old of a machine. If you
are anticipating using the system for heavy graphics or want Windows 7 or
64-bit, then get the fastest processor that you can afford. Currently the
fastest systems from both Intel and AMD are based on dual, quad, or six core
processors running at up to 4.6 GHz.
You will pay a real premium for the "cutting
edge" processors and in most instances, there is really little perceptible
difference between a 2.5 GHz and a 4 GHz processor. You will find that the very
fastest processor will cost more than quadruple the price of the
"previous" generation CPUs ($1,000 vs. $200+). You will also find
that going back beyond the middle tier CPU generation is really not much of a
cost savings when compared to the increased speed and versatility that you will
experience in the faster system and your ability to run the software programs
you need.
Read
Only Memory, ROM; Memory
The ROM (or more commonly referred to as CMOS,
pronounced see-moss) is non-volatile storage that contains the heart of your
computer. It knows the details of how your PC is put together and serves as an
intermediary between the operating system software running your computer and the
various hardware components.
When you first turn on your computer the BIOS (Basic
Input/Output System) stored in the ROM checks the hardware configuration so it
knows what to tell the operating system the computer has. This is known as the
POST, or Power On Self Test. Today, these "read-only" memories are
flash memory to allow updates to BIOS should the need arise.
CD,
DVD, and Blu-ray Disc Drives; Input/Output
Software
applications are now delivered on either CDs or DVDs so you will need to have
at least a minimal DVD/CD combo drive in your system that is 30x+ CD speed and
8x+DVD speed.
New computers commonly come equipped with at least a
DVD-RW drive that you can use to back up your work inexpensively or copy files
to transport to other computers. DVD-RW drives can be added now for less than
$30, with rewritable disks costing around $1 each.
You will see standards like DVD+R, DVD-R, and
DVD-Ram, etc. which differ slightly and may or may not talk to each other or
with your DVD Video player. Each DVD-Rom disk will store more than 4GiB of
data.
DVD drives can read the standard CD-R/RW formatted
disks plus the DVD data and movie disks. DVD disks can store 4.3 - 8.6 GiB of
data.
Blu-ray drives are used for high-definition video,
PlayStation 3 video games and other data. Drive sizes are the same as DVDs and
CDs.
How a CD drive works. A motor spins the CD disc. The
laser projects a concentrated beam of light that a lens and focusing coil focus
even more. The laser beam penetrates the CD's protective layer of plastic and
strikes the reflective layer. The surface of the reflective layer alternates
between flat surface areas called lands and tiny depressions called pits. The
lands and pits are a record of the 1s and 0s. The light is then reflected back
at the detector where it passes through a prism that deflects the beam to a
light-sensing diode. Each pulse of light that strikes the diode generates a
small electrical voltage. These voltages generate a stream of 1s and 0s that
the computer understands.
How a DVD drive works. A DVD disc has four layers.
From base to top layer they are: (1) a polycarbonate plastic base, (2) a much
thinner layer of reflective material, (3) a thin layer of transparent film, and
(4) a clear, protective plastic. A DVD drive is much like a CD drive since a
laser reads the lands and pits on the thin layer of transparent film (the layer
just under the clear, protective plastic). The DVD laser uses a shorter
wavelength which makes the beam narrow enough to read the smaller lands and
pits on the DVD surface. The DVD drive can also read the reflective layer by
changing the focal length of the laser beam so it passes through the
transparent layer.
How blu-ray readers work. A blu-ray uses the same
idea as that used in CD and DVD technology. Where a DVD uses a red LED, blu-ray
must be read using a blue LED to read the disc because the features are much
smaller.
Ports;
Input/Output
A port is like a wall plug. You use a port to plug
in your keyboard, mouse, printers, and other devices (called peripheral
devices). Ports serve as an interfaces (or connections) between peripheral
devices and the computer. You may be surprised at number of different types of
ports you already know. Here are a few you may recognize:
1. Ethernet port and network cable
2. Firewire port and cable
3. IEC connector and power cord
4. Parallel port and IEEE 1284
5. PS/2 connector and cable (keyboard and mouse)
6. SCSI port and cable
7. Serial port and cable
8. USB port and USB
9. Video graphics array (VGA connector) and cable
10. DVI connector and cable
11. HDMI Connector and cable
With today's technology, it is important to have
enough firewire and USB ports.
Monitor; Output
CRT
CRT monitors are now dinosaurs. They are being been
replaced by the LCD monitors which are lighter and thinner.
LCD
How a LCD monitor works.
Liquid crystal display technology works by blocking
light. Specifically, an LCD is made of two pieces of polarized glass (also
called substrate) that contain a liquid crystal material between them. A
backlight creates light that passes through the first substrate. At the same
time, electrical currents cause the liquid crystal molecules to align to allow
varying levels of light to pass through to the second substrate and create the
colors and images that you see (howstuffworks.com).
A basic 20" LCD monitor generally can be
purchased for around $100. Touch screens will cost you hundreds of dollars
more. If you purchase a 15" touch screen, you will pay $450+. The
30"+ screens are very expensive, starting in the $400 range.
Light emitting diodes, commonly called LEDs, are
real unsung heroes in the electronics world. They do dozens of different jobs
and are found in all kinds of devices. Among other things, they form numbers on
digital clocks, transmit information from remote controls, light up watches and
tell you when your appliances are turned on. Collected together, they can form
images on a jumbo television screen.
Basically, LEDs are just tiny light bulbs that fit
easily into an electrical circuit. But unlike ordinary incandescent bulbs, they
don't have a filament that will burn out, and they don't get especially hot.
They are illuminated solely by the movement of electrons in a semicondutor
material, and they last just as long as a standard transistor. The lifespan of
an LED surpasses the short life of an incandescent bulb by thousands of hours.
Organic Light-Emitting Diodes OLEDs) are thin-film
LED (Light-Emitting Diode) displays that don't require a backlight to function.
The material emits light when stimulated by an electrical current, which is
known aselectroluminescence. OLEDs consist of red, green and blue elements,
which combine to create the desired colors. Advantages of OLEDs include lower
power requirements, a less-expensive manufacturing process, improvements in
contrast and color, and the ability to bend (howstuffworks.com).
Surface-Conduction Electron Emitter Displays
A
Surface-Conduction Electron Emitter Display (SED) is a new technology developed
jointly by Canon and Toshiba. Similar to a CRT, an SED display utilizes
electrons and a phosphor-coated screen to create images. The difference is that
instead of a deep tube with an electron gun, an SED uses tiny electron emitters
and a flat-panel display (howstuffworks.com).
Keyboard;
Input
Wireless keyboard
Keyboards are input devices designed after the old
typewriter keyboards. They allow you to interface with your computer to do
tasks and interact with your computer. They can be connected to the computer by
a cord or they can be wireless.
Some keyboards are designed from ergonomic studies
to reduce repetitive stress injuries. The arrangement of the keys allow for a
more natural wrist alignment and reduces muscle strain.
You can purchase a regular keyboard or an ergonomic
keyboard for about $50 to $150.
How a keyboard works
Pressing any key on your keyboard causes a change in
the amount of current flowing through that key's circuit. The keyboard's
microprocessor (which is built into the keyboard) can detect when a key has
been pressed and when it has been released since each key has its own set of
unique codes. The codes are sent to the BIOS which reads the codes and then
sends a signal to the keyboard that it no longers needs to keep the code in its
buffer. BIOS then sends the ASCII code to the OS or application accepting
keyboard input.
Mouse;
Input
A mouse is a pointing device. It was named
"mouse" because the cord in the back of the early models gave them
some resemblance of a mouse.
The mouse detects where you are pointing by sensing
two-dimensional motion from the underneath side surface sensors. The sensors
send signals regarding distance, direction, and speed over the mouse's cable
and Windows converts the information to cursor movements on screen. Depending
on whether you click once and which button you click, the computer will perform
the task you instructed it to accomplish. The left button on top allows you to
select. The right button brings up a quick menu of options you can choose. The
wheel in the middle helps you scroll up and down the current document.
A mouse can be wired or wireless. They range from
$15 to a little over $100.
Cameras;
Input
Digital cameras, while becoming less expensive, are
still quite costly for the average user. There are a few low end units for less
that $100 but the quality suffers greatly. To purchase a Digital camera with
sufficient quality and features to satisfy most uses, you would need to spend
from $300 to $800. The beautiful thing with Digital Cameras though is that
there is no need to buy film or pay a high price to have your photos
developed. The media in the camera can be used over and over again for new
photos. All you have to do is download the photos to your storage disks (or
burn to a CD) and print them using your ink-jet or color laser printer. Some
ink-jet printers even specialize in printing photos with quality that actually
rivals film based prints.
If you are going to use your computer to manipulate
or store your photos, you will need to either use the cord that comes with the
camera or make sure your computer has a card reader that accommodates your camera's
card. Multiple card readers are very popular on today's computers.
How a digital camera works
The digital camera's auto-focusses a strip of
transistors which are light sensitive (CCD). The CCD adjusts the brightness of
the picture if there is less contrast between adjacent pixels. An exposure
meter measures the light bouncing off the subject so it can determine how much
light to let pass through the lens. The processor sends signals that opens or
narrows on the iris built into the lens. The light measurement is also used to
determine how long the shutter stays open. The zoom moves the lens so you can
capture an object or person up close or allows you to capture your subject at a
distance or wide-angle setting. When you click the shutter button, the camera
generates an electrical current that is either stronger or weaker, depending on
the strength of each color that make up a pixel in the picture. The wavering
electrical current is changed into digital format, generally JPEG. The values
are recorded on the memory chip until you download them to another storage
device or print them.
Printer;
Output
Inkjet printers
You can purchase color ink-jet printers with
outstanding print quality for less than $200, with "top of the line"
units running around $300.
Most computer users are well served by purchasing a
good ink-jet printer as they produce great looking documents and they are
relatively inexpensive to operate. Some ink-jet printers are available that can
produce outstanding photo quality prints of digital photography as well as
serve as general purpose desktop printers for every-day output.
How an inkjet printer works.The print head generally
contains four ink cartridges which are cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow, and
black. Each cartridge is attached to a nozzle smaller than a human hair. When a
small electrical current flows through a print head nozzle, a microscopic
droplet of ink is deposited on the paper either by heat or mechanical
transfer. Many thousands of drops in varying quantities of the four colors are
deposited per second and make up the printed image that we see. A downside to
inkjet printers is that the ink is susceptible to smudges and never quite
becomes permanent.
Laser printers
B&W Laser printers start around $150. Color
Lasers printers are much more expensive, priced at from $400 to $1,000 and
more. Laser printers produce a better quality print than the ink-jet printers.
The toner cartridges are fairly expensive, but they last a very long time. The
color cartridges are also expensive. When purchasing a printer, you should
weigh the cost differences in both the printer and the ink or toner.
How a color laser printer works.
The laser printer creates the image of the page to
be printed on a revolving photosensitive drum by turning on and off a laser
beam. When the laser beam hits the drum, it becomes electrically charged. The
drum turns four times. Each turn allows the beam to pick up and draw the
pattern for one of the four colors and transfers that information to a transfer
belt. The toner is then pressed onto the paper which then goes through the
fuser unit which adheres the toner to the paper. The fuser unit permanently
adheres the toner to the paper. Lasers are precise which gives a crisp look to
the printing.
Scanner; Input
Having a scanner is a good investment also. A good
scanner that allows you to make high resolution scans of text, photos or
graphics to save or send via-email to family and friends can be purchased for
less than $100. You can also use the OCR (optical character reader) capabilities
to input information.
How a scanner works. A scanner uses a charge-coupled
device (CCD) like a digital camera. When the CCD is exposed to a varied light
path, it converts the amount of light into a corresponding voltage. The charge
is sent to an analog-to-digital converter chip which changes the information to
digital values. The CCD array captures two-dimensional areas struck by light
that passes through the lens and focuses on array at the back of the camera.
Colored filters cover the array and determine which diodes measure red, blue,
or green.
All in one; Input/Output
All-in-one printer, copier, scanner, and fax
machines have become very popular. All-in-one units can be either inkjet or
laser printers. The one drawback can be that if one of the systems go out, you
have the decision whether to purchase a single component or replace the
all-in-one.
Other Items
What other hardware do you consider necessary?
Before purchasing any computer, determine how you use your computer and make a
list. Then determine what items you need to purchase to make your system
complete.
Software
REMEMBER: A computer system is not complete without
software. Do you need word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, or other
software packages? Do you want to purchase suites or individual software
applications? Listing what you do with your computer can help you decide if the
suites or individual programs are most cost efficient.
Once you have found the right components of a computer keeping in mind the budget you would like to keep, you can choose from a vast list of computers. That list will no doubt be growing every day in ways we couldn't have dreamed for. From laptops to desk computers these machines help us every day. Finding the perfect computer is almost a necessity. This list will help you find and or upgrade your computer. Thanks for reading this and I hope this all helped in selecting your perfect (or dream) computer!!
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