What's do these words mean?
 CPU'S?
(The Brain)
- Just when you thought you had the Pentium
4's understood , the Intel
Corp has confused us with the Pentium 64 * Pentium 64 2x & 4x. Then we have the AMD manufacturer, who is competing with Intel, and beating
them at their own game. Now with the new
Athlon 64 bit cpu, they also wiped out the Duron & Athlon XP & mow
produce the Sempron & the Athlon 64 & the 64 x2. They are
basically stable now, but some are still slower then their
counterpart because it doesn't have the same level of memory built into
the cpu. Why not
stay with the one that is standing out as special, which is the Sempron for
low end systems & the Athlon 64 X2 for higher end purposes.
The dual core cpu's & higher run a lot cooler then the older style
ones. Also, the next problem, is to note the Intel cpu numbers
haven't got smaller, you need to multiply them by 2x or 4x. The
AMD chips are numbered by the total value. Therefore, a 2x Intel
3g is actually a 6g cpu. AMD would call the comparable cpu a 6000+
ghz. If the ad doesn't say what the cpu value is, but state a
number, then go to the manufacturer's website to understand them. Click Here for some history & updates.
Memory
CPU Cache
-
This is memory built into the cpu to allow it to process the most
critical info first. Each Brand gives a different name for the
cpus with the different Level 1 cache. For AMD, the Sempron
has less than the Athlon. The same cpu with different size
cache's, do not run at the same speed. This is like having
money in your right (or main) hand. It's right ready for use.
Level 2 Cache
-
When that is not enough, it uses the L2 or level 2 cache on the
motherboard. These are pretty standard. Of course, the
newer motherboards will have bigger ones, than older ones.
This is like the money in a coin purse.
Ram
-
The next part of the computer the cpu looks for, is the ram.
Even though they come in different types depending on the
motherboard, they do the same job. This is the first area that
you can upgrade. Look to the Operating
Systems web page to see how much ram you need for which Windows
you are using. Do not use the minimum. This is like your
wallet. The bigger the wallet, the more you can store in
it. This affects the speed of the working windows
program & the programs you have minimized.
Hard drive
-
This is the next upgradeable part. This is the item that all
your software (programs) gets loaded to but is also used by the cpu,
if the above memory isn't enough. For most businesses, the
latest hard drives seem humongous. But for the homes that are
storing movies and music, you need as much as possible. This
is like the local bank.
The Internet
-
The is the biggest memory area that is constantly growing. I
don't think that anyone has any concept of how big this is.
But even businesses are storing info on the Internet for use by
their multiple branches and associates.
The Motherboard
This is like the road system in a city. We started off with 8
bit systems & now we're running 64 bit systems with two cpu's.
In other words, as we loaded more highways onto the system, the cpu
maxed out and now we have to have duo core cpu's. One of the
benefits, is that systems run a lot cooler. Most average
motherboards now have just about, everything else built on; including
video, sound, ethernet (for networking) & the other outlets needed
for the peripherals you plug in.
The Video Card
The one on the motherboard is okay for most cases but with editing
pictures, movies, playing high end games and now running Vista, you need
256 meg on the video card as well as the better features. A gamer
showed me the difference on the high end cards & it is almost like
watching High definition movie. These systems can now run more
than one video card connected together. These can run from $55.00
to over $1000.00.
The Sound Card
That brings us to the peripherals.
There are two types of peripherals;
Input
- Keyboards, mice, microphones, cameras, etc., things that put
info into the computer, you used to have to shut the computer
down to add. Now with usb items, you can add them with the
computer on.
-
Output
- Printers, & Flash drives & external hard drives, are both input &
output. These items are great as they take you beyond the
computer box & allows you to even store important data off the
premises.
Most computers on the market are not certified
by anyone. Computers are to be CSA approved and if the builder is really
competent, they will also be ISO9002 approved, which is the strictest testing standard in
the world. Our computers pass those standards. If they are not certified, you
may have many problems with hardware and software, and if there is a fire from the
computer, your insurance may be void.
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