Purchasing a Computer

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          What types of mobile devices are out there?  If mobility is what you are looking for than you are in luck, there is a plethora of devices for you.  Laptops can be a mobile powerhouse when it comes to computing with RAM speeds up to 32GB.  If you are looking for mobility but could do without the storage and the RAM speed you have choices.  Tablets are a larger version of your mobile phone, netbooks or chrome books have the basic components with the functionality for the basic computer.

2.     What to look for in a processor (CPU)?  The CPU is an electronic circuit in a computer that carries out all your input/output functions.  When purchasing a new computer, you will have to think of what you may ask of your CPU.  If you a will get heavy into gaming or video editing you may want to investigate faster CPU’s, such as the Intel i7 CPU.  You may only need to use your computer for Word processing or for the internet, in this case you should be fine with and Intel i3 or i5 processing unit.  Let’s review terminology you may run across in looking for a CPU.

·       Cores- “number of instructions it can process in a second measured in GHz” (Fisher, 2018, para. 12).  Cores can be thought of as flows of information through the CPU, they vary from single core to 12 cores.  For remedial computing a quad core will suffice.

·       Threads- Threading is like weaving bits of information together through the CPU.  For instance, if you have a single core and with 2 threads, your core is simulating a dual core by weaving the threads together.

·       Clock Speed-  The operating speed of your computer measured in MHz, a good average clock speed is 3 MHz 

·       Cache-  Is a momentary holding space for your computing data, the CPU will determine what you use most and store it in cache rather than RAM.  The more cache your computer has the faster it will be. (Fisher, 2018)

3.     What is RAM or random-access memory?  “Essentially, the more ram you have, the more browsers and applications you can open” (Downing, 2018, para. 6).  Today 4GB is a common RAM speed you will see, I would suggest 8GB or above.  Let us not forget your computer needs will change in the coming years, pick a RAM that can grow with your needs.

4.     What should I look for in a Hard Drive?  A hard drive is where your long term and significant data will be stored, think photos or documents.  Hard drives can come in various forms mechanical or solid-state (SSD).  A mechanical hard drive is the drive most computers possess a mechanical arm that writes data to disks, it can be wrote or re-wrote numerous times.  SSD are storage on a microchip, think over-sized USB drive, SSD drives are faster.  Storage is measured in bytes, with cloud computing catching on you may see some computers with only 128 GB storage.

5.     Do I need an Optical drive?  An optical drive is the drive that allows you to bring outside input and add it to your computer; examples are programs or music.  Optical drives can be either internal or external, external optical drives will use USB or Thunderbolt to transfer data.  Do you really need an optical drive?  Most programs are offered through software or app stores, or through the manufacturer they may even have it on their website.  Streaming services for music or movies, cloud computing stores your photos and documents.  Personally, I think optical drives are obsolete, if you need one consider an external optical drive.

6.     What should I look for in a Video or Audio Card?  Todays computers have graphics cards built in, and upgradable.  These cards are responsible for the sound and visual quality.  Think about what you plan on doing with the computer, as the sky is the limit for graphics and sound cards.  If you plan to make music or plan to be a serious gamer, consider stepping up with better video and audio cards.  Manufacturers who make great cards are NVIDIA and AMD.

7.     How to maintain your new system?  First and foremost, if you plan on having any connectivity to the internet at any time, install an antivirus software and malware detection software.  There are many free and reliable protection software available.  Doing normal maintenance on a computer is important, use disk clean up software to remove and unnecessary files or disk compression to slim down bloated files freeing up much needed space.  Remember to continually make sure your computer is running the newest updates and has the newest patches downloaded, it is easy to hack a computer on older software.  Keep your new computer in an open and cool environment, making sure your computer does not over heat and is free of dust is super important.  Never neglect your computer it wants to be put to good use, good luck!

References

Downing, J. (2018). Top Ten Things to Consider When Buying a Computer. Retrieved from streetdirectory.com: http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/116135/computers/top_ten_things_to_consider_when_buying_a_computer.html

Fisher, T. (2018, January). Central Processing Unit (CPU). Retrieved from lifewire.com: https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-cpu-2618150