Intro to Computers
Assignment 01.1
Tips for Purchasing a new Computer or Notebook
When the time comes to purchase a new computer or notebook arrives, many people cringe at the thought of standing in front of the display at Best Buy, blankly staring at the dozens of choices before them. The descriptions mean nothing to them. They’re all just pointless numbers and abbreviations right? Finally, the twenty –something computer guru arrives to offer some assistance, but they’re just rambling on and on about the top of the line models, the computer of the gods, the ones with the largest price tags. You revert to walking out of the store defeated, head hung low, outdone by the wonderful world of technology. Purchasing a new device can be very easily made into quite a simple task just by devoting some time to research and reviews. Starting with the basics, all computers have memory. The amount of memory you should desire depends upon what the primary purpose of you computer will be. If your intentions are surfing the Internet, communicating via email with friends and family, or using Microsoft Office programs it’s recommended to have a computer with at least 320 GB of hard disk space. In this case you wouldn’t need to spend the extra money for a 1 or 2 TB model. However, if you’re planning on doing quite a bit of photo or video editing, or online gaming, you should upgrade to a computer that has the memory capabilities to handle such large files. The next item you should consider is the speed of the processor installed. The processor greatly influences how quickly your computer will be able to respond to commands. Typically an Intel Core i7 processor that runs at 2.93GHz is plenty of speed for a home office computer. Users who intend to play detailed games, or run a large business should upgrade to a faster processor. The recommended minimum processor for active gamers should purchase something capable of running at least 3.4GHz. The final