3. The Central Processing Unit
The motherboard should
be thought of as the
computer’s central
nervous system, and the
microprocessor chip as
the brain.
4. So how do you choose the
right motherboard?
Size, or form factor
The most popular motherboard form factor
today is ATX. Almost all computers use
this type.
A chipset controls the flow of information
in the motherboard.
It cannot be upgraded without upgrading
the whole board.
NVidia and Via make chipsets for both AMD
and Intel processors.
AMD and Intel only make chipsets compatible
with their own processors.
5. What are Microprocessors?
Microprocessors consist of a system of
transistors, which act as on/off switches (or 1/0 in
binary language) to represent different kinds of data.
The size of your processor is measured in 0s or
1s, called bits.
8 bits = 1 byte
1,000 bytes = 1 kilobyte (KB)
1,000,000 bytes = 1 megabyte (MB)
…and so on.
6. PC Vs. Macintosh
Microsoft Windows are designed to run
on Intel processors, Apple computers
use Motorola-type chips.
• The PowerPC chip, by Apple, IBM, and
Motorola, allowed for Macintosh
computers to run PC software as well.
• In 2005, Apple decided to convert solely
to Intel processor chips by June 2007.
• These means more compatibility
options.
7. Moore’s Law
In
1965, Gordon
E. Moore
published a
paper that
proposes:
The number
of transistors
packed onto a
chip doubles
every 18
months, while
the price
remains the Moore's law. (2008, September 22). In Wikipedia, The Free
same. Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:22, September 25, 2008, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moore%27s_law&oldid=24
0240004
8. Processor Speed
Processor speed is measured by a system
clock. The clock rate is measured in hertz.
1981 Today
The original
2002 Up to tetra
hertz, or
IBM computer’s Intel Pentium 4
trillions of
clock speed up to 3 GHz.
cycles per
was at 4.7 MHz.
second.
9. Thermal Design Power (TDP)
Because of these high speeds,
systems often become overheated.
• Fans and modes of heat transfer
have helped.
• But much of today’s software
require a high number of processes
to occur rapidly, such as in large
networks or in games.
10. Multi-Core Processors
Divides the processing load over two or more processors to
prevent sluggishness and overheating. This means
improved multi-tasking performance.
“Understanding Processor Performance” (2008). Alienware Corporation. Retrieved 23 September
2008 at http://www.alienware.com/intro_pages/processors_101.aspx
11. Short-Term Memory
What is it and why is it important to
consider when buying a computer?
What amount of RAM is
recommended for a new system?
12. Holds the data before and after processing
Critical for a system to run smoothly and its
software to work well
RAM size is usually measured in megabytes
or gigabytes
13. B.K. Williams & S.C.
Sawyer, (2007). Using
information Technology
128 megabytes for students
At least 256 megabytes or
possibly 512 megabytes if you
want to handle graphics files
As memory size required for
additional software continues
to grow, the library might want
to buy for future
14. DDR-SDRAM is a more recent development
and most often found in personal computers
so the staff would probably want to make
sure they bought a system with this type of
memory
15. Michael J. Miller, (Nov.
11, 2004) “Your Next PC.” PC
Magazine
Recommends 512 MB of RAM as an inexpensive
item that will do more to improve how a
computer works than a more powerful
processor
For games, 1 gigabyte of RAM
16. Kristopher Kubicki, . (March 19,
2006) “Vista and the Quest for
More Memory.” Daily Tech.
Noticed a drop in price for more RAM every time
a new Windows operating system is launched
Expects to see 2 gigabytes as the norm for new
computer systems
17. Jason Cross, (Sept. 13, 2006)
“The Best PC for the Money.”
PC Magazine.
Recommends 2 gigabytes of memory with newer
operating systems, especially Vista
You could get by with 1 but price makes this too
good a bargain to pass up, especially with
whatever technology comes next
18. Russell Hitchcock. (July
17, 2007) "Memory and
Storage: Part 2.“
WindowsNetworking.com
Discuss newer type of chip called Magneto-
resistive Random Access Memory , or MRAM,
which uses magnetic storage
Expensive and not readily available
19. Schenone, Ron. (March
29, 2007) “Vista – How Much
Ram Is Really Enough?” The
Blade by Ron Schenone, MVP.
Microsoft always low-balls the amount of RAM
needed
Found Microsoft XP ran fine with 1 gigabyte of
RAM
Vista ran faster and smoother with 2 gigabytes.
No noticeable difference with 4 gigabytes
20. Jeff Tyson and Dave
Coustan, (2008). “How RAM
Works,” How Stuff Works.
RAM needs depend on system you are running
Microsoft recommends 128 megabytes with
Windows XP, 256 megabytes for optimal
performance
21. Joel Santo Domingo, Cisco
Cheng, Laarni Almendrala
Ragaza. (September 2008)
“Best PCs on Campus”
PC Magazine
Some colleges require
computers with 2
gigabytes of RAM
Best new computers
have 2 gigabytes, some
3 or 4.
22. Summary
While books may provide a good
introduction to what you might need for
purchasing, technology changing so
rapidly that information quickly obsolete
Online articles and blogs and even print
magazines seem a better source for the
latest recommendations
Standard now seems to be at least 1or 2
gigabytes, but probably won’t be long
before 3 or 4 is the norm
24. Two Things to Consider
1. Raw Capacity – the amount of data that can
be stored.
2. Density – the amount of data that can be
stored per unit of size.
25. Secondary Storage Methods
Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
Floppy Disk
Zip Disk
Optical Disk
Compact Disk (CD)
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)
Blu-Ray Disc
Flash Memory
31. Conclusion
In magazines or online, you will find
the latest information about different
technologies. The books may give you
an overview but change comes rapidly.
