Re: determining speed using window xp

Cynanthis wrote:
As i am searching options for a new/gently used lapop, what
is the term used for processor speed.
I have a 2 yr old laptop running home XP. My laptop has only
512 ram and 80 GB HD...Now I am looking for another laptop for
a fam member who will need plenty of memory for
graphics/photos/ etc sometime in the near future. Can
you define briefly processor speed and what it does? plus HD and
Ram. . Is the GHZ number the one that determines how fast the unit
functions? simple explanations are greatly appreciated. thank you
in advance.

In deciding what to get in terms of a computer - you have to coinsider all
of the variables. It becomes more and more difficult - but there is a few
general things you can know to get you through.

For the processor speed - the number in front of the "GHz" is not the only
factor and can be misleading. For example:
An Intel Celeron D 352 3.2GHz with 533MHz FSB and 512K L2 Cache CPU will not
be as fast as an Intel® Pentium 4 Prescott Processor 3.2GHz with 800MHz FSB
and 1MB L2 Cache. The 3.2GHz is offset by the amount of L2 Cache and the
Front Side Bus Speed. And that's not even jumping into processors with 2
or 4 cores (just on the Intel side of things.) Multiple cores may/may not
help *now* but could become necessary for the future of where the computer
could be.
http://www.tech-faq.com/cpu-speed.shtml

Memory - that's easy. While you can have too much for your needs - given
the price - it's not a bad thing to over-estimate. As time passes -
programs hog more and more memory resources. If you start out with a lot -
there is less likelyhood you will add more memory before you replace the
system with a new one for some other reason. Windows XP - I recommend 512MB
to 2GB. For Windows Vista - I recommend 1GB to 4GB.
http://www.crucial.com/support/howmuch.aspx

Hard drive size... Realistically, since most computers do not fall below
the 80GB mark any longer as new - this is not a problem unless you specify
and know what you will be using it for. Storing doizens of movies?
Hundreds of REALLY high-resolution (above that your 8.1 megapixel camera
does) pictures? You might need a few hundred GB or 1+TB (Terabyte =
1000GB.) Also realize you should have equivalent external space (external
hard disk drive, burned CDs/DVDs, etc) so you can maintain good backups of
this data.

The video card becomes important if they are playing games or doing heavy
video processing. And heavy does *not* include watching HD movies. We are
talking 3D rendering - where the graphics card actually does ther processing
to generate and enhance what you see on the screen - such as many
multi-player onliune role playing games, etc. Most modern video cards
handle this easily.

Essentially - someone purchasing a computer for the long haul right now
should look to get the fastest CPU speed they can (likely better with
multiple cores - the more the better) with 2+GB of memory and 160+GB of hard
disk space and the equivalent external hard disk drive for off-computer
backups. If playing games (3D games) - the video card can become a factor
in performance.

The way someone speccing out a computer for themselves should do it is list
everything they see themselves doing on it in the next 3-5 years.
Collecting photos, composing music, rendering 3D animations, surfing the
Internet, organizing photos from their camera, editing movies from their
video camera, playing high-end video games, etc. Sometimes they also need
to consider what he other users (if any) will be doing on it. Then - with
all that information in hand - go to someone who knows and ask for 3 levels
of computer specifications (low-end, medium end, high-end) that would cover
all of those needs and make sure that the data produced would be easily
backed up and restored in case of a catastrophe. Then go elsewhere and do
the same. Three places would be best. If they won't do that at the
computer store the person goes to - the computer store is not worth their
time since their business is not worth the computer store's time. Then
decide based on monetary factors and how closely (or not) the specifications
match. Look up unknown terms using an online search engine.

The alternative - have them ask someone they trust and that knows them to
come up with specs and a place to buy and go with that.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html


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