Common Computer
Hardware Components.

Proccessor or CPU

This is the PC's "brain." Generally, the faster the processor, the faster the computer can work. Processor speed is measured in gigahertz (GHz), and, generally, the greater the GHz, the faster the PC. It is also called the central processing unit (CPU). It interprets and executes instructions of computer programs or the operating system. In terms of computing power, the CPU is the most important element of a computer system. The combination of processor clock speed, architecture, cache, and front side bus decides the performance of a processor. L2 Cache helps store temporary data, thus increasing retrieval speed of frequently used data. A bigger L2 Cache usually will help speed some application operations. There are different Processor Manufacturers,Intel® and AMD are the most common. Celeron® by Intel® is designed to enhance performance of business applications and provides for speedy searching of the Internet, but isn't ideal for multimedia-nor is it as good value as the Duron, the equivalent AMD chip. If you desire faster performance, consider at least a 2.8 GHz processor for these purposes. Pentium® processors offer more power-enhancing features, allow for real-time video editing and streaming video and provide a realistic 3D and animation experience. Pentium® processors generally offer a faster range of speeds and more power than the Celeron® processors. If you prefer greater speed, consider at least a 3.0 GHz processor. AMD Athlon The first chip to reach a speed of one gigahertz, the Athlon was originally released to compete with the Pentium III. However, it can handle much higher speeds, and various new models, such as the Athlon Thunderbird with a better cache, have improved on the original, keeping it at the cutting edge. A good-value chip for high-end users. DURAN (AMD) This is a cheaper and only marginally less powerful version of the Athlon. It is a superbly good -value processor, excelling at everything other than the most demanding applications.

Ram (memory)

After processor speed, memory is one of the most important determinants of system performance. In fact, increasing the amount of memory in your PC is one of the most economical ways to increase its performance. As with processors, the higher the number, the faster the computer, generally speaking RAM also helps determine how many programs can effectively be open and running simultaneously (for example, writing a report, receiving e-mail, and listening to a CD at the same time). Average systems have 512 MB of RAM, but increasingly, systems are now coming equipped with 1GB to 3GB. If you are planning on using your PC for digital video editing or downloading music, you should consider at least 2GB as a minimum amount of RAM. If your operating system is VISTA, i would recommend at least 2GB of ram just to run the system. Three types of RAM are available: SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, and RDRAM. SDRAM is the standard memory offering for PCs. DDR SDRAM has an increased frequency bandwidth over SDRAM with up to double the memory output, leading to increased performance and speed. RDRAM features dual-channel processing for high-end multimedia tasks, and is able to load a new stream of data before the previous stream has completed, resulting in faster access speeds

Hard Disk Drive

It is important to have a large HD drive to undertake some tasks like video and sound editing. Currently, HD drives have capacities up to 500Gbytes and data transfer rates of 160Mbits per second. To calculate the capacity you'll need, consider the size of your applications (Windows XP needs approximately 1GB, for example) and estimate the quantity and size of the files you'll be storing (a single, typical audio CD requires approximately 600 MB).
500GB HD Massive storage capacity to store professional video and multimedia projects, create multiple drive partitions, plus lots of room to grow.
250GB HD The capacity to set up a large photo or music archive or library, work with many large graphics files, more advanced video projects, and/or create multiple drive partitions.
160GB HD Room to store digital photos and music, large graphics files, as well as entry-level video projects, or for space to divide your drive into discrete partitions (to run multiple operating systems on the same PC, for instance).
80GB HD Basic storage capacity adequate for document files, such as e-mail and basic word processing.

Opitical Drives

The optical devices on your system will be used for loading software, playing audio CD's, making home videos or backing up important data, so it is important you make the right selection of drives to give you the features you need now and for the future.
A CD-ROM provides a low cost way to play audio CDs and load software onto your computer.
A CD-RW will allow you to easily create your own custom music CDs and data CDs for data back-up or data transfer purposes. It will also allow you to store and share video files, large data files, digital photos, and other large files with other people that have access to a CD-ROM drive. This drive will also do anything your CD-ROM will do. It reads all your existing CD-ROMs, Audio CDs, and CDS that you create with your CD burner.
A DVD-ROM allows you to enjoy the crystal clear colour, picture and sound clarity of DVD video on your PC. It will also prepare you for future software and large data files that will be released on DVD-ROM. A DVD-ROM drive can also read CD-ROM discs, allowing you to play your favourite Audio CDs or install new software applications on CD-ROM media, effectively providing you with full optical read capability in a single drive.
A CD-RW/DVD This drive brings all the advantages of DVD-ROM, CD-RW, and CD-ROM to a single drive. You can read DVD-ROM and CD-ROM discs, and create your own custom data CDs on inexpensive discs that hold up to 700MB of data. Choosing a CD-RW/DVD can save valuable bay space for an additional optical drive.
A DVD+RW/CD Burner The DVD+/-RW Burner is a great all-in-one drive, allowing you to read or burn DVD+R, DVD- R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, CD-R and CD-RW discs, as well as read CD-ROM and DVD-ROM. It can burn DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD+R or DVD-R discs, burn CDs, watch DVD movies, and read data from DVDs or CDs. Store lots of information. DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD+R or DVD-R discs hold up to 4.7GB of data - that's about 7 times the capacity of a standard 650MB CD! Store up to 2 hours of MPEG2 digital video.

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Last updated: June 25th, 2009
Created Sept 5, 2006

Hardware

Printer

Scanner

Speaker

Monitor

Microphone

System unit

System Unit

The main part of a personal computer. The system unit includes the chassis, microprocessor, main memory, bus, and ports, but does not include the keyboard or monitor, or any peripheral devices.

USB Memory Key

The USB Memory Key is a portable storage device that plugs directly into the USB port of your notebook or desktop. The size of a pen, the Memory Key can hold larger quantities of data than traditional floppies (ranging from 8MB to 2GB, and even bigger at time goes on ), and does not require drivers or a separate power source. An active device with its own central processing unit (CPU), the USB Memory Key is capable of directly supporting and running multiple applications.

Zip Drive

While a floppy disk holds 1 MB of data, a ZIP can hold 100 MB,250 MB and soon, 500 MB on special cartridges; think of it as a small,removable hard drive. << back

Printer

A Printer is needed if you have to print documents of course. Some printers can even print a decent photograph. Another option available now are the all in one printers. These are usefull if there's a limited amount space, as they do printing as well as scanning. Don't get stuck with the ones on offer with the PCs they are usually cheap, useless and expensive to run. I would recommend either Epson or Cannon printers, in my experience these are good printers and not too expensive to run either. But that's up to you. What you should look for though when buying a printer is
1. dpi(dots per inch): this tells you what quality it can print at, the higher the dpi the better the quality.
2. ppm (pages per minute): this tells you the speed of the printer, obviously the higher number ppm the less time it will take to print. It normally states mono ppm or colour ppm, this is the speed it prints in mono (black and white) and colour << back



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