Modem Speed On A Computer example essay topic

Buying a personal computer can be as difficult as buying a new car. No matter how much time you spend looking into, how many electronic dealers you visit, and how much haggling you " ve done on the price, you still may not be really certain that you " ve gotten a good deal. You have good reasons to feel this uncertainty. Computers change at a faster rate than any other electronic equipment. An old car will most of the time get you where you need to go, but a five year old computer may possibly be incompetent for your every day needs. Also, the average person doesn't have the technically knowledge enough to make an informed decision on the best mini-processor to buy, the right size for a hard drive, or how much memory.

Just because buying a computer can be a difficult task doesn't mean you should throw in the towel and put yourself at the mercy of a salesman. If you follow a few basic guidelines, you " ll can be confident of making a wise purchase decision. So read on, as we review a few easy principles. Computer's only have one main use; to run programs.

Some of the programs call for more computing muscle than others. To figure out how power you " ll need you, thus, you must first determine which programs you want to have running. For most computer buyers, this is a no-win situation. They think they can't buy a computer until they know what they want to do with it. But that's almost impossible, to determine right a way you can't really know all of the uses there are for a computer until they use one. Most programs write out their minimum hardware requirements on the box.

After looking at a few packages, it will start to be pretty clear to you that any low-mid-range system will run 90% of the existing software. You will only need a top-of-the-line system for expert applications such as graphic design, video production, or engineering. Many software seems to lag slower behind hardware, for the reason it's to reach the widest practical audience. Programs that only worked on the fastest Pentium system would have very narrow sales means. Only a small number of programs are taking the advantage of a Pentium's strength. Even if you pay a large price for the fastest possible system, you may not even see an increase in it's performance.

When the new computer model comes out in a few weeks, your "newest and greatest" model has-been obsolete. Some people think that if they only buy the most powerful computer offered, they won't have to upgrade for a long time. These people overlook, that a making of computer technology lasts less than a year. By computer standards, a four year old model is basically crap. Wasting tons of money for today's top-of-the-line computer makes you less economically able to upgrade a couple of years from now, when you may possibly really need it.

Here's something else to consider. While a faster processor will typically increase the speed of your system, only doubling the processor speed usually will not double the act. For example, 200 MHz Pentium system may only be 50% faster than 100 MHz Pentium system. That's because there more preventive factors. Memory is one great example. You may be better off buying a 100 MHz Pentium system with 16 MB of RAM than a 200 MHz system with 8 MB.

Even if buying the greatest machine did double your performance, it still might not make a big change as you might have thought it would. Say your software perform any given job in under a second, it speed saved you less than half a second. Then you could tell the difference. There are no other products that change as quickly as computers. The computer industry is not that old, but in a few small years the industry has progressed from the horse and buggy age to the flying future age. Consider, it just doesn't make sense to buy a computer today without preparation for years to come.

Every computer says it can be upgradeable, but there are unstable degrees of adding-on. A truly expandable unit has: At least one empty SIMM (Space for memory At least two empty expansion (PCI slots) A large shell case with lots of room. A complete system, has the following parts: Motherboard and Processor Memory (RAM) Hard Drive Graphics adapter I / O Controller (for serial and parallel ports, drive control, etc.) Floppy Drive Keyboard Mouse CD-ROM Drive Sound Card Operating System Software (DOS and Windows) Case and Power Supply Monitor The most important items to a computer are the processor, memory, and hard drive. Memory is almost second to the processor you prefer. In fact, Microsoft Windows operating system needs at least 8 MB of RAM just to run its operating system. Then If you plan to run several programs you may need 16 MB.

Memory is the short-term workspace that the processor uses to store and direct information. Programs that you use must be loaded into memory, along with the data they use, such as the text, pictures, sounds, video, and interaction. If you hold back on on memory, your CPU can't work up to its full potential. You will better performance with a less power in our processor and more memory, than you would with the most powerful processor and less memory.

Hard drive space is somewhat less vital. The hard drive is where you store your programs and information. This forever storage is needed because the memory is an temp-workspace whose contents disappear when you turn off the power switch. Although the most new programs require a lot more of storage room (from 10 to 200 MB), hard drive capacities have gotten bigger in the last two years.

In 1998, computers would come with hard drives that ranged from 2.5 GB to 10 GB. Once more, the best value would be in the middle range. Look for a machine with at least 20 GB of storage, but don't rule out higher capacities if you can get them for an extra $150. Other factors are have fewer importance to your over all buying decision. If you " re buying a new computer now, it will probably come with the Windows 'XP operating system. That's not to say you'd be crazy to buy a system that comes with Windows 98 (if you can get it low-cost).

Most if not all of the current software works better on the older operating system. It's just that you more limited to the newer titles. A eight-speed CD-ROM drive is fast enough, no need to go for a sixteen-speed. You " ll find that when it comes to realistic programs, the more high-priced high-performance CD-ROM drives just aren't any faster than the eight-speed models. Mostly CD-ROM software won't even take advantage of what speed difference there is. Since eight-speed drives are cheap, it doesn't make sense to spend the big bucks for the more expensive model.

By the time higher speeds counts, we " ll be into a whole new soaring- density CD-ROM. The modem speed on a computer doesn't even matter. There are many speeds out there today. The main computer speed is 56 K I don't think you can go lower then that. If you " re buying a modem today, definitely go for a 56 K, but the speed of the modem; no matter how fast it will not speed up your internet service.

The reason, it will not speed up the dial-up internet service is because the phone-line service is on 28.88 K, the modem doesn't add in the lost bytes. For the Internet speed to drastically change you will need DSL. The bottom line Computer technology changes so rapidly that it doesn't make sense to pay a high price for the fastest system on the market. Today's speed devil is tomorrow's old-fashion-loser. If you " re looking to get the best value for your money, go to the middle of the line. Today, for example, Pentium systems go from the 1.0 MHz systems on the low end to 3.0 MHz systems on the high end.

The middle systems, the 1000 MHz and 1400 MHz systems, are where you " ll find your best buys. This position will no doubt change as 3.2 MHz and 4.0 Mhz systems are introduced, and the 2.9 MHz systems become the new low end. What won't change here is that you " ll get your best buy with a system that falls somewhere in the middle. Mid-priced computers cost only a little more than the "dirt cheap" systems, but perform almost to the level as some of the top-of-the- line models. They won't become obsolete as fast as the e-machines computers will, but they " ll still leave you with an adequate amount of money so you can feel at ease upgrading in a couple of years. When it the time to upgrade your system, it will be much easier if you buy a system that is made up of industry-standard parts, rather than having it custom made.

Looking for computers in full-huge size case shells with lots of room. These models are the easiest to have upgraded. You look for these computers among name-brand units, and don't consider those no-name brands.