How to Choose the Right Processor Speed for a Computer

Series Summary

As computer systems get more and more complicated, manuals seem to provide less and less information. The latest computer may not include a comprehensive guide to the operation and maintenance of the system. There is no doubt that the world has become reliant on computers for day-to-day functionality, whether it's school or business. Knowing how to survive in this new digital age is something that youngsters start learning early without having to read the manual. However, thanks to the Internet, use this free video series to boost knowledge of basic computer hardware and accessories. In this free video series, a professional computer technician discusses various hardware and computer accessories. Learn how to choose the best processor for a computer. Also, get tips for choosing between a laptop and desktop. Find out how to hook up accessories to a PC, such as a microphone and printer. Clean an LCD screen with expert tips as well. So, take a moment, and learn some general computer information about computer hardware and accessories that will help smooth the path to computer happiness!

Video Transcript

"Hi I'm Chris Bryce from SuperService.com. Today we're going to talk about how to choose the right processor speed for a computer. Processors are like engines in cars, they need to be teamed up with the right transmission and the right drivetrain. If we tend to look at a processor as, let's say a 3 gigahertz processor, if I go out and purchase a 3 gigahertz processor but I've got 256 megabytes of RAM, it's like using a Corvette engine on a garden tractor transmission. Those two combinations just aren't going to work. So we need to make sure that when we're looking for processing speeds we're also looking at the rest of the computer. If you want to choose the right processor speed, the first thing I would look at is your needs. Are you going to be doing graphic editing? Are you going to be just taking this off to school for a college project? Or are you going to be taking this to work and using it in a work environment? If any of those are the case then you may want to look at something that's a little more high tech. As far as processor speeds go, if we want to go with a 3 gigahertz again, let's look at a 3 gigahertz processor, that's probably the best one to choose in today's environment. In using the 3 gigahertz processor you're going to want to look at using a similar amount of RAM. RAM is like the lungs of the computer, the breathing of the computer, it won't work without that heart beating fast enough. So if we get that 3 gigahertz processor we'll look at taking 2 gigabytes of RAM or even 3 gigabytes of RAM, and matching it up with the processor. Then you want to look at your hard drive space. With hard drives, today you're going to look at at least a 200 gigabyte hard drive. So the combination of 3 gigahertz processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM, and at least a 200 gigabyte hard drive is going to be the perfect combination for your needs."