Data Diggings

Newsletter from John AndersEn & Co LLC

Come and Get ‘Em while they’re hot!

John AndersEn & Co. represents a team of individuals who are highly skilled and experienced in dealing with every aspect of computing technology.  We pride ourselves in fast response time and have recently geared up to handle even a higher volume of calls!  We can be reached at either 713-461-3737 or at john@johnandersEn.com.

 

 

 

 

 
Volume 4, Issue 2                                                                                                                             April 2003

Text Box: Tips from the Techie
Timely how-to advice for keeping your systems running.

byJohn AndersEn, Owner, John AndersEn & Co LLC

So you want to buy a new computer?  It’s almost as hard to decide as it is shopping for a new car.  The options are practically limitless these days.  What are the important points to know whether or not a particular computer is a good match for you?  Here’s a few tips and suggestions to keep you informed:

1.	CPU speed.  This is a big selling point on all new computers because it is the flashy statistic (“gigahertz” just sounds fast, doesn’t it?).  But is it really all that it’s cracked up to be?  No.  Read on for more insight.  ;-)

2.	Harddrive space.  This is another flashy statistic (“megabytes” just sounds big too, right?).  Not necessarily.  Keep reading.

3.	RAM.  You are really in the know if you can explain the difference between “Random Access Memory” versus “virtual memory storage”.  But don’t worry, we’re going to simplify this mystery for you right now!

Here’s the BOTTOM LINE.  Current available CPU speeds will completely surpass ALL that most computer users will ever need.  Current harddrive space options also far exceed what the average user will ever reasonably consume.  RAM, however, is the important measure to watch.  If your computer doesn’t have enough RAM it will spill over to use your harddrive (“virtual memory”) which is turtle-slow compared to the lightning speed of RAM.  Beyond that, newer PCs are improving the internal communication (i.e. “bus”) speeds between the  major components.  Get the best you can in bus speed and RAM and you’ll be set for a long time to come!  J