Computers hardware, software and internet

Finding the right desktop computer for you can sometimes be tricky. You need to take into consideration the likes of is the desktop computer for home, an office, for business or for gaming purposes. Other things you need to generally know is the RAM size, Hard Drive (HD) size, does it have an operating system etc. Looking for a desktop computer at a reasonable price can also be a bit tricky for most of us. The price you will pay depends on the system specifications. The higher the spec, the higher the cost is generally the theory but if you are looking for a cheap desktop computer that will brighten up your room and make general day to day tasks easier, then a cheap desktop computer ranging from £200 – £300 would be ideally suited to you.

With a cheap desktop computer you have the ability to execute tasks that offices and business use, such as word processing, spreadsheets and databases which can be especially useful if you have organization within your life. Cheap desktop computers are definitely not recommended for office or business use, however, due to the fact that the processing abilities with a cheap desktop computer are much lower than of that required. Cheap desktop computers are also great for those who like to surf the web so for families, couples and even individuals a cheap desktop computer would be ideal.

Cheap desktop computers are not portable, where they can be carried around freely like a laptop or netbook, however, for home use only cheap desktop computers are perfect. Cheap desktop computers can even make a room look much better!

When buying a cheap desktop computer, some of the manufacturers that you may see include HP and Dell. These two particular cheap desktop computer manufacturers are trusted and definitely recommended if you are looking for a fast and reliable cheap desktop computer. Most cheap desktop computers will come fully equipped with a motherboard,  WIFI card, LAN card, optical drive, hard drive, RAM and an operating system (normally Windows XP for cheap desktop computers), so really, it’s just a case of plug and play with most cheap desktop computers.

You can buy a cheap desktop computer from PC repair stores, large computer stores and online through marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon. Remember to always check the system spec of cheap desktop computers before purchasing, as what seemed like a good deal may in fact not be.

Does the technical name of different component of a computer, such as RAM, processor, scares you off?

In this article, we will be covering most of the hardware in regardless of the form size (physical size of the computer casing)

Essential Computer Hardware consists of

Mainboard

CPU

RAM

Hard Disk Drive

Graphic Card

Power Supply / Casing

Keyboard / Mouse

Monitor

DVD Writer

This is the biggest piece of hardware in the system. This is where various other essential components connect onto it, such as CPU, Ram, Hard Disk drive, etc, to it. Modern mid-range mainboard usually comes with add-on component such LAN port, sound card and graphics card.

As other hardware connects to the mainboard, it is important to ensure that the mainboard purchased is of high caliber and has at least the add-on component as stated in the paragraph above.

This is one of the computer hardware that determines the speed of the whole system. The other determining hardware are the RAM and Hard Disk Drive. Single Core CPUs are almost obsolete and are much slower compared to their Dual Core / Quad Core counterparts.

Usually a numeric figure is stated and that is the clock frequency, commonly known as the speed of the CPU. Usually the higher the clock frequency, the faster your data can be processed.

Known as Random Access Memory, are memory chips where data are temporary stored. By storing the data on RAMs, the CPU is able to process the data in a shorter period which leads faster execution of the instructions and tasks assigned to the computer.

Usually a numeric figure (in Gb) is stated and that is the physical size of data the RAM is able to store.

This computer hardware keeps all data permanently, unlike the RAM which will erase data if the computer is shut down. Comes in sizes of 2.5″ (for laptop) and 3.5″ (for Desktop)

Usually a numeric figure (in Gb) is stated and comes in various capacity.

A rough calculation

Assuming a 4 min long music song is stored in mp3 format and takes up 4mb worth of space in the hard disk. 160Gb will be able to store around 40,000 songs!

As stated, this card is initially responsible for displaying images onto the monitor. However, due to the high rendering first-person-shooter games being produced, gamers will demand their graphics card to be better than the CPU. This is due to the fact that the graphic card will handle all taxing gaming images which the CPU was unable to process. To meet up the demands, even graphics cards are going dual core!

The life of the computer! This computer hardware sends power to various devices, such as the mainboard, hard disk drives, etc.

This is often the most overlooked hardware and is frequently compromised due to budget constraints. However, by cutting down on getting a good PSU, risks such as electric shock and under-current may occurs which could instantly destroy the mainboard and other hardware by providing the wrong current or voltage!!

Computer case is the tough armor to protect the dedicated various computer hardware.

Casing are important as they ventilate and regulate air flow to prevent overheating of the essential computer hardware.

Commonly known as CD-ROM / DVD-ROM or DVD Writers, this allows reading of various CDs/DVDs. ROM hardware are only able to read from CD / DVD, while DVD Writers enables writing (copying of data) to the discs.

The latest technology for Optical Drive is currently Blu-Ray ROM will allows reading of Blu-ray disc. Due to the high cost, it is not widely included in systems.

Is a visual display unit that shows images generated by the graphic card. CRT monitors that are working today are using older technology which consumes more power. Mainstream monitor manufactured are now mostly LCD due to their compact size and cheaper cost to manufacture.

For those who are interested in electronics and computers or for those who are looking for a cheap PC then building a cheap desktop computer may be the answer for you. Building a cheap desktop computer gives you the advantage of installing all the components so you know exactly what the system specs will be. You will find that buying parts separate and building a cheap desktop computer you will save a great deal of money compared to the normal cost of already built computers. It’s recommended that you first have the knowledge on building a cheap desktop computer. If not, study what you need and how to put it all together. Building a cheap desktop computer isn’t rocket science, it just takes a bit of time and effort but all in all it’s a great money saver, educates you on the workings on a desktop computer and you will know the exact system specs seen as you built it.

Building a cheap desktop computer requires the components and tools. You will need RAM, CPU, a hard drive, an optical drive (CD/DVD drive), a motherboard, a tower, a monitor, mouse and keyboard. You can also add in extras when building a cheap desktop computer if you wish such as graphics cards, sounds cards and even more RAM if you are looking for a fast computer. You will also need to know which type of RAM your motherboard can hold, SDRAM or DRAM for example are just a couple of available RAM types you may see when looking for parts for building a cheap desktop computer. Building a cheap desktop computer will also require small tools such as a screwdriver so you can screw in certain components.

If you are planning on building a cheap desktop computer then you can buy the parts from PC repair stores, PC hardware stores, computer fares and online through marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon. If you aren’t too confident on building a cheap desktop computer then search building a cheap desktop computer for more visual instructions on what you need to do to for building a cheap desktop computer.

When building a cheap desktop computer you also need to remember that you will need an operating system such as Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows 7 and you must also know how to install operating systems. If you have knowledge on building a cheap desktop computer then installing operating systems shouldn’t be much trouble for you. Operating systems can be rather expensive so it’s best that you have one ready when building a cheap desktop computer.