thejockspot computer buying guide

Your brain goes into overdrive what exactly is the salesman talking about, in this hub I will try TO explain the jargon in plain English so that you can be more prepared for the aggressive salesman.

GHz GIGAHERTz

The first thing to consider is the processor

INTEL and AMD are the most common manufacturers of processor chips.

processors do most of the work in your computer,speed is all with a processor measured in giga hertz Intel clearly state the processor speed of their chips where as AMD chips dont declare the speed but compare it with the nearest Intel equivalent.

i.e an AMD 3200 would be equivalent to an INTEL 3.2GHz.

You can also get a 32-bit or a 64-bit processor the 64-bit is obviously double the speed of 32 bit processor.

a 32-bit system can handle up to 4GB of memory whereas a 64-bit system can handle up to 1000GB of memory.

At present though there isnt a noticable difference between 32-bit and 64-bit except a 64 -bit version of windows xp to run it.

dual core processors are 2 processors combined into a single chip the advantage of this is thata computer is able to run more data simultaneously and run more programmes at the same time.processors designed for notebook computers AMD TURION and INTEL CENTRINO, CORE AND CELERON, have ben designed with a low power out put to extend the battery life.

MB and GB MEGABYTES AND GIGABYTES

Memory often called RAM (Random Access Memory) is used when the computer is runningto store data that is being worked on less memory is needed than hard disk space therefore it is mainly measured in MB rather than GB 512MB -1GB is a good amount of memory any more than that is a bonus.

CD/DVD DRIVE or OPTICAL DRIVE

Most computers come with an optical drive that can play and record to cd or dvd disksfeatures of these drives will be displayed with a serie of letters the letter "R"indicates that the drive can write to recordable discs,whilst the letters "RW" indicate that rewritable discs can be used.

In the case of dvd recorders there are different types of dvd to take into account(-,+ and a higher capacity version called dual layer) importantly you must ensure you get the right discs for the right player.

MB and GB MEGABYTES AND GIGABYTES

The hard drive which stores your operating system and files also come in a range of sizes form 40 GB in a notebook to 400GB in some desktops.

Integrated graphics in a computer means that it will use the computers memory to control the graphics which is ok unless you need high quality graphics for gaming or other uses, but if you just want your computer for word processing and using the internet intgrated graphics are for you.

Now when you go into a store at least you will now have a rough idea of what the salesman/woman is saying .

have fun.....jimmy