Buying Guidelines Chapter 1 – Look under the hood

Buying a Processor?

Speed matters. Processors with multiple cores can process more data simultaneously, with four cores now increasingly common on laptops. Clock speed, measured in gigahertz (GHz), along with the number of cores and other factors, determines how quickly a processor can process information. What is commonly seen amongst the processor family, is the fact that the higher the clock speed the faster the processor. Typically, clock speeds start around 1 GHz for mobile processor and speeds can exceed 5 GHz within desktops.

Solid-State Drives

Solid-State Drives or better known as SSDs is a storage technology to access the data without the tradition parts required for mechanical hard drives. SSDs don't have the spinning disk of a conventional mechanical hard drive, so they use less power, work more quietly, and should be more resistant to damage—and less likely to fail mechanically. And because there are no moving parts, access to data should be quicker.

Hard Drives

Also known as a hard disk, this type of drive uses a spinning hard disk and uses more power than a solid-state drive. It is also slower overall. Bigger is better. When purchasing a hard-drive look at the size, for example, gigabytes, terabytes and commonly range from 250GB to more than 1TB. Installing a slower hard drive will result in longer start-up times, delays in competing tasks, for example installing new devices and software, scanning for viruses etc. For best performance, get a desktop with at least a 7,200-rpm hard drive or a laptop with a 5,400-rpm hard drive.

How Much Memory?

Memory is such an important purchase, the more memory installed the faster your computer is. Memory is measured in gigabytes (GB). When installing memory on a desktop or a laptop, 8GB has become for entry-level devices and 16GB for higher-end devices. Unless you regularly have multiple large apps open at the same time, 8GB should be your just fine. Computer Mania prides itself on being the #1 online computer store in South Africa. We sincerely hope you found this article interesting. If you are looking for more information about our products or services or simply just need professional advice, contact Computer Mania today or head to one of our stores for more information.