So yeah whenever I buy a new computer / laptop, I always am so clueless about the specs. I am more of a technically person meaning I can solve some computer problems, but I am horrible when it comes to looking at specs. First of all, I am very noob. I don't know what sort of ram is good, just the higher the better. I don't know what brands are better {Asking the store clerks never work. Half the time they BS you with dim witted knowledge that can or cannot be half true.} I can't convert stuff like MB to GB, etc etc, and I actually wanna learn :yup: I dunno the parts that make up a computer, and stuff. Once again maybe there are a lot of people out there who don't know as well, but I just want to start picking things up as it is in my interest sort of to know more about stuff like this. Maybe if I wanna get a part time at Best Buy or Futureshop whatsoever, I can help ^^" Also I wanna learn more about external hard drives, add ons, etc etc that are good and how to determine WHICH ones are good, and stuff like download speeds {Ex. How good is a 200kb/s connection?? What is the average?} I've learned everything I know through my cousin who is a computer literate person and builds his own comp and all but we don't talk too often. I dunno how to describe the things I wanna learn..just, something that can help me maybe choose good computer parts I guess. Yeah my question is coming out unclear but you get my point right?
Well I'm no computer whiz myself but I can help you learn the memory units. The most basic unit of memory is a byte, abbreviated B. Not very many things are measured in bytes any more. The next common unit is a kilobyte, abbreviated kB or KB. As the prefix kilo suggests, there are a thousand bytes in a kilobyte. Text files and pictures are usually measured in kB. Above a kilobyte is a megabyte, abbreviated MB. Again, the prefix mega means 1 million, so there are 1 million bytes in a megabyte. MP3s and short movies are usually measured in MB. Next is a gigabyte, abbreviated GB. The prefix giga means 1 billion, so there are 1 billion bytes in a gigabyte. Long, high definition movies and most hard drives are measured in GB. Finally there is the terrabyte, abbreviated tB or TB. The prefix terra means 1 trillion, so 1 TB=1 trillion bytes. Large hard drives are measured in TB. That's about it for my knowledge, hope it helps.
bit = basic unit, represents either 1 or 0, aka an on-off switch byte = 8 bits, 8 on-off switches, can represent a basic character ('a', 'b', '0', 'A', '&', etc) Then in-comes the discrepancies between normal people and computer people. For computer people, kilo means 1024, which is 2^10. For normal people, kilo means 1000, which is 10^3. This discrepancy comes from the fact that computer people use base 2 and normal people use base 10. Look here for a good explanation of the ambiguity: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilobyte mjnskivt covered pretty much all the other prefixes in laymans terms. RAM: 256 mb RAM is enough for very basic computer use 512 mb is enough for slightly more advanced computer use, can multi-task more without lag 1 GB RAM is enough for very basic gaming and most regular computer operations, good multi-tasking 2 GB RAM is enough for good quality 3D gaming for the most basic games etc etc HD sizes: 10-20 GB is plenty for basic computer use (word processing and browsing internet) 50-100 GB for a reasonable amount of photos 200 GB for more photos 500 GB for A LOT of photos and videos etc etc External hard-drives are just internal hard-drives except on the outside They're mainly used to store stuff that you don't use everyday (photos, videos, etc). So speed generally isn't an issue unless you make extensive use of it. CPU speeds: 2 gHz single-core processor (if it doesn't say dual or quad core, its a single core ) = enough for the non-gamer and professional 3 ghz single-core = can do basic 3d gaming and basic professional work 2 ghz dual-core = can do professional work 3 ghz dual-core = mid-level 3d gaming etc etc Internet speeds: 56 kiloBIT (56 thousand bits, not bytes) = dial-up modem, slow for anything except viewing mostly text sites 100 kilobytes per second is good for all-around use, slow for large downloads 700 kilobytes per second is good enough for almost anything Those are just some basic guidelines on basic parts. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask
After digging around in my hard drive for a little while, I found a guide I used when I was considering building a comp. Go here to download: http://www.tweakguides.com/TGTC.html I don't know what operating system you have, but reading the first 20 pages or so should give you some valuable info no matter what os you use. And don't worry, the 20 pages aren't that bad, it goes pretty quick.
There's also a cache in the CPU that allows quick access to programs you use a lot. The RPM speed of your hard drive is important too.
I little bit extra about the external hard drive. A lot of people use it to "back up" their internal hard drive. This means, you may know but for explanations sake I shall say it, that all the information you have on your internal hard drive is basically copied onto the external hard drive. The external hard drive is then disconnected so that if you get a virus or anything or your computer crashes or gets messed up and your files are corrupted or your hard drive gets wiped, you can get out your handy-dandy external hard drive and copy all your files back onto your internal hard drive, and be as good as new - or at least since the last time you backed up your files. Hope that helps, I might add some more later .