Datasheet

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Chapter 1: Buying a Computer
Understand Processor Speed and Memory
You computer contains a processor contained on a computer chip.
The speed at which your computer runs programs or completes tasks
is determined in great measure by your computer’s processor speed.
Processor speed is measured in gigahertz (GHz). The higher this mea-
surement, the faster the processor. I won’t quote the speed you should
look for because these chips are constantly getting smaller and contain
more and more power. However, when you shop, know that the
higher numbers give the best performance and factor that into your
decision depending on your needs.
In addition, computers have a certain amount of storage capacity for
running programs and storing data. You’ll see specifications for RAM
and hard drive memory when you go computer shopping. Again, the
specific numbers will change, so the guideline is to look for higher
RAM numbers if you feel you need more storage capacity.
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RAM is the memory needed to simply access and
run programs. RAM chips come in different types,
including DRAM, SDRAM, and the latest version,
DDR2. Look for a minimum of 1 gigabyte (GB) of
RAM for everyday computing.
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RAM chips are rated by access speed, which relates to
how quickly a request for data from your system
can be completed. You might see RAM speed mea-
sured in megahertz (MHz). Today, 800 MHz could
be considered good access speed.
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Your hard drive has a certain capacity for data
storage measured in gigabytes (GB). These days
you should probably look for a minimum of a
160GB hard drive, but hard drives can come with
a range of huge capacities, with the largest being
measured in terabytes (TB, measured in thousands
of gigabytes).
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