3 most basic specifications to consider when buying a personal computer

New computer users are confused by the specifications of the computer they want to buy. The specifications sometimes may be just numbers without a meaning. However its important to know what you are buying and the meaning of basic specifications. The following article will help you to make an informed decision to buy a personal computer.

1. Processor speed: This is the speed at which the computer runs the programs or completes the task. It is measured in gigahertz (GHz). The higher the speed the faster it completes the task. However for laptops the higher the processor speed the faster it drains the battery. For someone who knows that he/she will mainly depend on the laptop battery its advisable not to buy a laptop with a very high processor speed. I recommend you to buy a PC with a processor speed greater than 2GHz. This is enough for you to surf the web, play music, play online videos and play web games.

2. Ram is a computer storage location that allows information to be stored and accessed quickly and randomly instead of sequential like on a CD. It is measured in megabytes (MB)or gigabytes (GB). With more RAM a computer can run a variety of applications simultaneously without freezing. I recommend PC with at least 4GB.

3. Hard Drive is the main storage location where data is permanently stored. The storage capacity of a hard drive is also measured in MB or GB. Roughly a 1 hour 30minutes  movie is 1GB, 500 songs covers a space of 1GB and 400 photos are equivalent to 1GB. I recommend you buy a PC with at least 160GB.

Noreen Sarai (Mrs): Lecturer - Information Security & Assurance Department (Harare Institute of Technology noreyn@gmail.com)