How Much Computer Do You Need

How much computer do you need?  It’s much like asking how much car you need.  If you’re just driving yourself, you don’t need much.  However, if you have a lot to do, you’ll need a lot more power.  The performance of a computer is basically determined by 4 components:

The processor, which is the brain of your computer, is much like the engine of a car.  Car engines come in 4 or even 8 cylinders.  More cylinders provide more power.  Processors come in dual-core and quad-core models.  Each core is like a separate brain.  Dual core processors have, in essence, 2 brains so the computer can do more at once.  Kind of like the “2 heads are better than one” saying.  A quad-core processor has 4 “brains” and does even a better job at multi-tasking.  Processors are also rated by how fast they “crunch data.”  This is measured in gigahertz.  One gigahertz equals one billion calculations per second – pretty fast.  So the higher the gigahertz, the faster your computer can make the calculations necessary to display video, pictures, games, charts, financial information and so on, which means less time waiting to get what you want.

The Hard drive, which holds all of your files, even when your computer is turned off, is like the trunk of your car.  The more stuff you have, the larger your trunk needs to be.  Hard drives are rated in gigabytes.  One gigabyte equals one billion pieces of information.  To get a better idea here’s a chart to show the size of typical files.  When determining what size hard drive to order, always think about what you will be storing in the future.  If you’ll be storing music, pictures or videos, or if you are expecting another user to be on your computer, always overestimate how much space you think you’ll need.  Over time, you’ll fill it up.

The RAM, Random Access Memory, or usually just referred to as memory, is where your files and programs reside when they are open and being used.  RAM is considered high-speed memory and is many times faster than you hard drive.  When you load a program, it moves from your hard drive to the RAM, where it can be quickly accessed by the processor – speeding up your computer.  RAM is kind of like your glove compartment.  It doesn’t hold as much stuff as your trunk, but you can access it very quickly.  RAM is rated in gigabytes, much like your hard drive.  2 gigabytes is considered the minimum to effectively run the latest programs.  4 gigabytes helps to future-proof your computer.  Think of it like this: programs will only continue to get bigger as we demand more from our computers.  Always buy as much RAM as you can.

The final component that determines performance is the graphics processor.  The graphics processor has the job of translating all the calculations your computer makes into a visual image which is displayed on your monitor.  And with the increasing availability of high-definition video, realistic computer games and 3-D animation, your graphics processor can really elevate your computing experience.  The graphics processor is either “on-board” or it is a separate component that plugs into your motherboard.  If you’ll be using your computer for tasks other than heavy gaming or media creation, the graphics processor on any Nova Mesa computer will be fine.  If you are into the latest games or you create video or animation as a hobby or for a living, you’ll want to get a dedicated graphics processor for additional power.