When a person is looking to buy a new computer, there are typically a few factors that will greatly influence which computer the person chooses to buy. The most important feature person should consider when buying a computer is the CPU and RAM. These two components of the computer are what determines how the computer handle certain tasks, such as web browsing, video editing, word processing and just about everything that a person does on the computer. Many times, people confuse the RAM and CPU and believe that the RAM is what ultimately determines how the computer is going to handle certain tasks but in reality, the CPU is the most important component of a computer.
There are a number of different types of CPUs that the computer can have, and each one has its benefits and disadvantages. Some computers offer a person more than one CPU, which allows users faster processing speeds and allows them to complete tasks much faster. The most common types of processors and computer are single core, dual core or quad-core. What this means is that the computer either has one CPU, two CPUs or four CPUs. Many laptops and desktop computers that have a dual core processor can handle basic tasks such as web surfing, watching high-definition videos and word processing. For computers that have four CPUs are more, the user is most likely using the computer for gaming or streaming videos.
While the CPU is considered the brain of the computer, RAM is considered the heart of the computer. The computer cannot function without a CPU but without enough RAM, users will not be able to get the full processing speed of their CPU. RAM works in conjunction with the CPU to ensure that the computer is running at optimum speed and allowing the user to get the most out of the CPU they have. For single core computers, the typical amount of RAM is 2 GB, while dual core and quad-core computers usually have 4 to 8 GB of RAM.
For average users, CPU and RAM are really the only thing they need to consider when searching for a computer but for hard-core gamers or people who deal with video editing, graphics cards are just as important as the processor and RAM. The graphics card is what determines how clear an image will appear once the computers connected to a monitor. While the average graphics card is capable of displaying things such as web pages, users that want to play video games on their computer will need a special gaming graphics card. Gaming graphics cards work in conjunction with the CPU and RAM to output the optimum frames per second, so that the user can play their game without any lag or distortion.
While the processor computer is the most important feature, there are an almost endless list of parts that make a computer good or bad. For example. hard drive size is important for people who need to store large video files, while a high-definition monitor is important for a user that wants to watch Blu-Ray movies on their computer.
Since most people do not care to know the details about why the computer works the way it does, companies are able to charge more for computers that do not have adequate RAM or CPU processors. If a person did not want to get overcharged for a computer, and they would do adequate research on a specific computer before buying it. For regular computer use, a person can find a computer that has a dual core processor 4 GB of RAM for around $500, but users that want to play games on the computer mean that spending several thousand dollars.