Monday, June 15, 2009

Analyzing Desktop Specs

By John Rickson

Have you ever been shopping for a desktop computer and been confused at all the different specs on the spec sheet? What is really important, and what isn't? Let's look at some of the different desktop specs so you know what they all mean and how they can help you get a better computer.

The main components required by any desktop to function are: the processor, memory, the motherboards, graphics cards, hard drive, monitor, removable storage, and operating system. There are also many other components that are necessary like the sound cards, case, communications systems, and peripherals like keyboards and mice that may be needed to use the computer, but don't actually define it. Exactly which components the consumer adds to the computer, however, will be dictated by that's user's individual needs.

When it comes to processors, there are a lot on the market right now. Just about any of them will work just fine if you're only going to be using your computer to run office applications and browse the internet. But if you're going to be doing a lot of 3D rendering, gaming, or other things along those lines you'll need a more powerful processor. These users will probably need to get a quad-core processor versus a dual-core processor.

Another very important component of a desktop computer is memory. One really important type of memory is RAM. This is the memory that your computer uses to keep applications running smoothly. If you don't have enough your computer could slow to a crawl. 2GB of RAM is a good place to start if you're running Windows Vista.

It wasn't too long ago that the only people concerned with graphic and sound cards were gamers. But these days with more and more applications relying on multimedia, graphic and sounds cards are very important. Gamers will still want to make sure they have top-of-the-line cards, but the standard user can probably get by with basic cards.

As you can see there is a lot that goes into making a computer work efficiently. And we've only touched on a few of the more important ones! That's why one of the great things about owning a desktop computer is that you can customize them and upgrade them as needed. If you decide you need more RAM, you can go buy more and install it. If you need a faster CD-ROM drive, you can pull out the old one and put in a better DVD drive. Whatever is considered standard today will need to be upgraded shortly as technology advances, and with a desktop computer you have this flexibility. - 22787

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