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| Tracy L. Sundstrom is the owner of Pro
Computing in North Platte. Pro
Computing has been in business for more than 5 years and offers
a combined 35 years of professional computer technology experience.
They specialize in all types of computer repair, both large and
small. They also specialize in network setup, repair and maintenance.
The Jungle Lounge upstairs is perfect for travelers needing Internet
service as well as for locals who appreciate a private getaway from
the mundane. |
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Understanding what
‘MB, GB, TB, MHz and GHz’ measurements
are all about
Let me break it down, quick and simple. It’s like the Metric
System, based on 1000s. Remember from high school? When they said
we’d have to learn it some day? Well, this is similar:
• 1 Byte is a single unit of information, a letter or
number. The number of bytes measures the size of a document.
• 1000 Bytes = 1Kilobyte, or KB (you usually see your file
sizes listed in KBs)
• 1000 KB = 1 Megabyte, or MB (a floppy disk holds about
1.5 MBs)
1000 MB = 1 Gigabyte, or GB (hard drive space is usually listed
in GBs)
1000 GB = 1 Terabyte (servers will often list their amount of space
in TBs)
• I have rounded the numbers slightly to get the basic concept
into an easy to understand format. To be exact, kilobytes = 1,024
bytes, megabytes = 1,048,576 bytes, and gigabytes = 1,073,741,824
bytes. Yeah, yuk.
• Processor speed is the same way. It’s measured in
Hertz, which are cycles per second.
1000 Hertz = 1 Kilohertz, or KHz (Pre-Pentium days, way back)
• 1000 KHz = 1 Megahertz, or MHz (These were the common speed
measurements up to 5 years ago.)
1000 MHz = 1 Gigahertz, or Ghz (Most computers today are around
3Ghz) |
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by Tracy L. Sundstrom
What do you want your computer to do?”
That is the first question I ask when a person tells me they need a new
computer. Why? Two reasons: 1. People shouldn’t pay for features
they don’t need. 2. People will be very frustrated if the computer
doesn’t do want they need it to.
It’s great that computers are so customizable now adays, but that
often leads to more uncertainty when trying to tailor the best system
for yourself. Processor speeds range from 2.4 to 3.8GHz. Random access
memory varies from 128MB to 4GBs. Hard drive storage space can be 40GB
to 1Terabyte.
Figuring out how much computer you need
There are five basic groups most computer users fit into.
• Internet & Email
• Home users
• Small or Home Business
• Computer Graphics
• Gaming
If you really only want a computer for internet and emailing, you can
get away with the lowest specs and lowest cost. Even used computers a
couple years old will still fulfill these minimal requirements. A refurbished
system won’t last as long and doesn’t come with a warranty,
but for $100-$200 you can quickly be on the internet and chatting with
your friends.
(10GB hard drive, 128-256MB RAM, 600MHz-1GHz)
Home users generally want some word processing for letters, financial
software to track banking & bills, and multi-media applications for
photo viewing, music listening & movie watching. The lower end systems
offer plenty of performance, a warranty, and won’t squeeze your
wallet too tight. For a complete unit with a flat panel monitor, you can
be happily set up for around $700.
(40GB hard drive, 256MB RAM, 2.4-2.8GHz)
Small and Home Business users need reliability, back-up options &
productivity software. Multi-tasking is also important as people often
don’t have the luxury of only working on one task at a time. They
need good, next day service warranties, enough ram to run several applications
at the same time, enough speed to keep up with their hectic pace and enough
hard drive space to store and quickly access years of data. $1100 will
generally provide all the features needed.
(80-100GB hard drive, 256-512MB RAM, 3.0GHz)
Users who work with computer graphics, web design, photo editing, etc.
need more RAM (random access memory) than the users previously listed.
An ultra-sharp, digital interface, flat panel monitor with higher resolution
and faster refresh rates is also important. These systems will usually
total around $1400.
(120-160GB hard drive, 512MB-1GB RAM, 3.0-3.2GHz)
And finally we have the gamers. You may think it’s strange that
these users need the best and most expensive systems, but it’s true.
Speed and ram and refresh rates are a matter of life and death in today’s
games. I recently configured a system for a gentleman that totaled $3400,
and it wasn’t even maxed out with the best processor available.
Crazy, huh.
(200GB hard drive, 2GB RAM, 3.8GHz)
There are also questions of networking, compatibility, mobility, space
requirements, etc, but these are easy to answer after you know which type
of computer user you are. You have to start somewhere, right? |
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