PLEASE NOTE - advice given here should be read as guidance only and should be read with respect to dates given (computer hardware changes almost daily) - advice is given in good faith but implies no guarantees.
In computer jargon, 'hardware' is defined as the physical parts of a computer, that is "if you can touch it, it's hardware". (NOTE to touch it you may have to use a screwdriver to open the computer case & touching it may 'blow' it with static electricity!).
The core (the actual 'brain') of any computer. The only necessary thing to know about a processor is it's speed (measured in GHz - gigahertz). The bigger a number before the abreviation GHz the faster a computer will run. There are two manufacurers, the market leader Intel, and it's rival AMD. Both companies sell 'budget' processors, and 'performance' processors.
| Intel | AMD | use | |
| budget | Celeron | Duron | 'office' applications (word processing etc), Internet |
| performance | Pentium 4 | Athlon XP | play games, edit digital video |
It must be mentioned here that processor speed is not the only consideration for high performance applications such as games, but without a high processor speed your experience will be dissappointing.
Currently (Decemeber 2003) you should consider a 2GHz processor as a minimumin for a 'desktop' computer. If buying a laptop computer, the fastest you can afford (upgrading later will more than likely be impossoble).
Memory (usually reffered to as RAM - Random Access Memory) can have as much, if not more, effect on a computer's performance than processor speed. RAM is the computer's temporary store and any application you run will constantly make use of it. The more more memory a computer has, the greater the number of applications and operations will be possible without slowing down the computer or producing error messages.
How much memory you need depends again on the tasks you require your computer to perform. Curent (December 2003) levels offered start at about 256Mb to 2Gb, 256Mb being adequate for office tasks but a better figure to aim for would be 512Mb. High performance users should aim for a minimum of 1Gb.
In a desktop computer, it is pretty easy to get add more memory later; for a laptop the proceedure can be trickier and more expensive.
The hard disk is where all your applications (and probably most of your files) are stored. Size is measured in gigabytes and again, how you intend to use your computer is the deciding factor. For the average user 30-40Gb capacity will be ample, but if you intend to involve yourself if memory hungry applications, such as storing lots of pictures, video, or music then the larger the better.
If your expected applications are of the less demanding office type then the average offering will be suitable, but if games ur some such high end usauge is envisaged then you are going to put more (typically �200) on the price of the computer. The number of graphcs cards is high and it is beyond the scope of this brief guide to list or suggest any sepcifics.
CD - Compact Disk
CDR - Compact Disk Rewriter
DVD - Digital Versatile Disc
DVD+Rewriter/DVD-Rewriter - Digital Versatile Disk Rewriter - Care must be taken here as there are 2 very much incompatable formats, DVD+ and DVD-, though some readers/writers can handle both BUT some can only read but not write to both formats - all very confusing - why make it simple when you can confuse the life out of people!!!
Please see this companion sheet for a guide to the to terms such as bytes, bits, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, gigahertz etc.