Don’t get caught up in the Sales Talk – Part 2
We live in a society where biggest is best, but this is not the case with computer specs. As we were discussing in the last column it’s not about the numbers it’s about the usage requirement.
Let’s discuss the brain and graphics within a computer.
CPU Processor – Brain
The most used statistic when selling a CPU are the GHz or “giga-hertz” which measures the frequency that the CPU processes something.
In the early days, CPU’s could only process one thing at one time; therefore, how often, or the frequency it processed something directly related to the speed of your PC. These days, we have “multi-core” CPU’s, which have multitasking built in. To simplify, 10 years ago GHz used to mean faster, but that no longer applies.
Think of it like the engine in a car: A 5L Hyundai car racing against a 1.5L Formula 1 car. Despite having a larger engine, we all know that a Formula 1 is much faster. The Hyundai on the other hand is still a fine car; it’s just slower.
We have discussed in a previous column that there are different levels of Intel CPU: Celeron, Pentium, i3, i5, and i7. If the Celeron was the Hyundai, the i7 is the Formula 1 car. If you’re OK with a slower PC, the Celeron is fine. But the average person should start looking for a CPU with an i3 or up.
Graphics Card - GFX
Graphics cards get sold on numbers too: most assume that a 2GB graphics card is better than a 1GB card. This also depends on how you use your PC. It would be like comparing a truck to a Formula 1 car. Both are very useful, in different situations.
The number for the graphics card is based off the memory in the card. Most cheap, large cards use big, slow memory, like a truck. It’s good for Photoshop or AutoCAD, but for games, where everything is changing rapidly, you need the reverse: you need the speed more than the larger space, like a Formula 1 car. You probably need to talk to someone who can tell you the difference when you’re looking at a graphics card and discuss whether you actually need an additional graphics card in your new computer.
The point of all of this is that larger doesn’t mean better; you need to consider how you use your computer, and it’s a three way compromise between price, size and speed.
Visit your local computer store to discuss the options available to you and which would be best suited to your needs.