Download - G eek S peak
Geek SpeakWhat’s Really Important
By Benjamin DavidsonComputer Technician
Electronic Futures/CompuSmart
Topics Covered• Hardware Overview
– Priority Hardware – Part 1– Secondary Hardware – Part 2
• Software Overview– Applications – Part 1– Security – Part 2
• Buying Intelligently– Priorities – Part 1– Look Out! – Part 2
• All About AMD• Where to Research• Upgrading• Question Period
Priority Hardware• Processor
– Performs most calculations on system– Importance often exaggerated relative
to rest of system• RAM (Memory)
– Temporary storage place for active programs and data – the more RAM you have, the more applications can be easily opened at once (multitasking)
• Hard Drive– Permanent storage – the more space,
the more room for documents– Performance impact not critical
Monitor MouseSpeakers Keyboard
Optical Drive Motherboard Video Card
Secondary Hardware
Applications• Office
– Microsoft Office dominates market– Competitors may have issues with MS Office documents– Different feature sets, terms of use, and price points
• Multimedia– Brighten, enhance, alter, or repair photographs with
Adobe Photoshop or Jasc Paint Shop Pro– Splice together professional video collections with Adobe
Premiere or Ulead VideoStudio• Publishing
– Create universal documents with Adobe Acrobat– Produce your own websites with Microsoft Frontpage
Security• Antivirus
– Norton Antivirus and McAfee VirusScan• Antispyware
– Adaware SE Plus and Webroot Spy Sweeper• Firewall
– Norton Personal Firewall, hardware router• Backup
– CD-R or DVD-R disc– External hard drive
• Warranty– Duration of warranty– Turn-around time of warranty hardware– Issues with “middle-man”
Priorities• Workstation
– Processor, RAM and warranty are priorities. Consider investing in quality keyboard and mouse.
• Server– Warranty duration and turnaround is highest priority.
RAM, followed by motherboard and CPU are priorities.• Gaming System
– Video card highest priority, followed CPU and RAM. Use quality mouse and keyboard.
• Media Centre– Speakers and monitor are priorities, and hard drive
space. Look for a Windows Media Centre Edition PC. Consider wireless keyboard/mouse.
Look Out!• Important
– Onboard video/no AGP slot– Proprietary designs– Specifics of processor (not
just frequency)
• Not important– Designed for Windows XP– Internet ready– Free software– Unproportionally high
amount of RAM
All about AMD• Use a performance rating (PR) system
rather than naming chips by clock speed (GHz)
• Often a better value than Intel, especially in budget systems
• First to offer 64-bit processors for desktops
• Lower power consumption and heat than comparable Intel CPUs except for Intel’s Pentium and Celeron M series, designed for laptops
Where to Research
AnandTech
TomsHardware CompuSmart
CNet
Manufacturer
Upgrading• General
– What is the brand and model number of your computer? What operating system does it us?
• Processor– What socket or slot does your motherboard use? What
is the maximum front side bus speed it supports?• RAM
– What type of RAM does your system use? What is the speed of your current RAM? What is your processor’s FSB?
• Hard Drive– Does your computer support SATA? Does it support
larger hard drive capacities (32GB+)?
Thank You!
If you have any questions or comments,please feel free to contact me at
Electronic Futures/[email protected]
Phone: (250) 635-7767Fax: (250) 635-7174