Understanding Computers

When it comes to buying a computer or laptop for your office or home, understanding the specification can be very confusing.

Here is a brief guide to the technical details:

Desktop or Laptop?

When deciding whether to buy a desktop or laptop or tablet, think about what you want to do with the computer.


	If you want to use it for general use (e.g. email, Internet browsing, some office work), and you know you will need to use it in different places, or different people will be using it, then a laptop is probably better. You will also most likely need wireless internet so you can use your laptop around your office or home.
	If you work in a single location, or if want to do serious work, particularly with lots of typing or requiring fine mouse control (e.g. for design), or very high quality graphics are needed (e.g. for gaming), then a desktop is probably better. If you need to have many applications open at the same time, a desktop can also output to two or more screens.
	A tablet computer is usually smaller than a laptop and it has a touch sensitive screen. Many tablets have detachable keyboards. Tablets often have a long battery life and are usually much lighter than laptops. Tablet computers often have fewer connection holes than a laptop or desktop.

Screens / Display

Screens are measured diagonally, usually in inches. The most common sizes at the moment vary between 19" and 24". There are two shapes of screen: normal (4:3 ratio) and widescreen (16:9 ratio). Widescreen is the current standard.


	If the height of the screen is important (e.g. you need to see a whole page of text or to see as much of a spreadsheet as possible), then you might be better choosing a standard (4:3 ratio) screen.
	Connecting to your screen - there are four common methods of connection. VGA - the most common - a 15-pin analogue connection DVI - these connections can be analogue (DVI-I) or digital (DVI-D) HDMI - these digital connections are standard on most laptops or TV/entertainment equipment mini-HDMI - these smaller connections are often found on small laptops and tablets DisplayPort (and Mini-DisplayPort) - this is the newest type of video connection type.

If the height of the screen is important (e.g. you need to see a whole page of text or to see as much of a spreadsheet as possible), then you might be better choosing a standard (4:3 ratio) screen.

Connecting to your screen - there are four common methods of connection.
VGA - the most common - a 15-pin analogue connection
DVI - these connections can be analogue (DVI-I) or digital (DVI-D)
HDMI - these digital connections are standard on most laptops or TV/entertainment equipment
mini-HDMI - these smaller connections are often found on small laptops and tablets
DisplayPort (and Mini-DisplayPort) - this is the newest type of video connection type.

Processor (CPU)

The Processor or CPU is the " brain" of the computer. The more powerful processor your computer has, the faster it will work. The Processor is often labelled by the number of " cores" (separate ' brains' which can work in parallel).

Processors are made by two companies: Intel and AMD. They are both equally good. The speed of both types of processor are measured in Gigahertz (GHz). The higher the speed, the faster the processor.


	The current Intel processors are called i3, i5 and i7. Most standard home computers will come with an i3 processor. We would recommend an i5 processor for most office needs. If you need a very powerful computer, e.g. for creating graphics and video, then the i7 processor could be the correct one for you. Servers tend to use Intel Xeon processors.
	The common current AMD processors are called Ryzen and come with 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 or 16 cores. The subversion of Ryzen (e.g. Ryzen 5) is roughly equivalent to an Intel i5. x2 (dual-core) is for standard computers x4 (quad-core) or better for high performance computers

Memory (RAM)

Memory of RAM is the "thinking space" or "short term memory" for your computer. Think of it like a kitchen worktop... the more worktop you have, the more you can do.

Memory is measured in Gigabytes (abbreviated to GB). The minimum you should have in your computer is 2 Gigabytes. The recommended amount of RAM is 8 GB. If you like to do lots of things with graphics or run several programs at once, then 16 GB or more is advisable.


	If you need a very powerful computer, you may need more memory. There are a limited number of slots inside your computer to fit new memory, and there is a maximum amount of memory which each computer can have.

Hard Drive (Storage)

Your hard drive is the storage for your computer: it is where your programs, documents, photographs, music, videos etc. are stored. Think of your hard drive like your kitchen cupboards: the more cupboards you have, the more you can store.


	The size of a hard drive is measured in Gigabytes (GB) and Terabytes (TB). 1 Terabyte = 1024 Gigabytes Most computers will come with a hard drive from 240GB to 1TB or more. Most computers now come with a hard drive type called an SSD (Solid State Drive). These are drives without any moving parts. As they are more expensive, they tend to be smaller.

Networking

"Networking" a computer means connecting it to another computer, either in your own home or office, or to the Internet. There are two ways of networking, and it is possible to have a mix of both, so you could enjoy the benefits of both.


	A wireless (or wifi) network is the more versatile way of connecting computers in the office or home, particularly if you have a laptop and move from room to room with it. Your laptop will have an in-built wireless aerial. To prevent other people accessing your computer and Internet connection, your wireless system will have a secret security key.
	A wired network is a fixed cable method of connecting computers in your office or home, and is better if you have a desktop computer. The speeds offered by a wired solution are far higher than with wireless and they are not subject to interference.
	Ethernet over Power - this is a system which uses the electrical wiring in your home or office to carry network signals. These plug-in units can provide either a wired or wireless network signal, depending on the make/model.

Backups

If something were to happen to your computer, you could lose all your data! Having a second place to store your data is a very good idea.


	A lot of people buy an external hard drive, which you can connect to your computer and make a copy of your data, so you can be assured that you have another copy, just in case the worst happens. Another way of backing up your data is to store it "in the Cloud" using an Internet Backup Service. Remember to backup your data regularly and keep the copy in a safe place.