Your computer is probably your most important tool when your work remotely. If you aren’t tech savvy, choosing one one can be a little intimidating.
Sometimes, our computers get fried. They die, give up the electronic ghost, or are just so slow they have to be replaced. So you go shopping for a new one.
Most people have a “computer person” they go to when they need to make these choices. My friends and family often come to me as the “computer person” whenever they need to buy a computer or have computer questions.
But what if you don’t have someone to help you make good decisions when buying a computer? You might make overspend or get less computer power than you need. Maybe your usual friend just isn’t available to answer your questions and you could really use some help.
This guide will help you understand more about how computers work so you can make an informed decision and buy the computer that is right for you.
The Internal Components
CPU (or Processor)
The CPU is what the part of the computer that does the work. If we were to compare a computer to someone working at a desk, the CPU would be the hands that perform different tasks.
When you are evaluating a computer for purchase you will see some information about what kind of Central Processing Unit it has. This usually includes the brand name (typically Intel or AMD), and a whole set of other info that looks something like this:
- Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700K CPU @4.20GHzor
- AMD Ryzen™ 9 3950X
So lets break this down.
Brand
Intel and AMD are the current big players in processors for most desktop and laptop computers. Both are perfectly fine options for almost everybody. Certain people have really strong brand loyalty and swear by one or the other.
Either of their processors will make your computer work. Unless you are running some kind of hard core data processing scripts that take several hours, you probably won’t be able to tell any difference and even if you could the difference is likely to be minimal.
Model
This is more important than brand. Their are significant differences between models.
Intel has their Core i (TM) series of CPUs which are fairly easy to distinguish by level. An i3 is the lowest processing power, and i5 has a little more and so on up the numbers.
The 7700K part of the name represents the generation of that particular series. The bigger the number here, the newer the processor is.
For most people an i5 of one of the latest generations will be more than enough processing power to handle what they want to do.
If you wish to read more detail about Intel processors, you can look at them in more detail here (Intel Processor Detail)
AMD has their Ryzen (TM) series with an almost identical method for distinguishing power level. A Ryzen 3 is the lower processing power, and a Ryzen 5 has a little more power and so on.
The 3950X is the generation number.
Same rule applies as to Intel. AMD’s Ryzen 5 series should easily handle all of your daily processing needs. A simple table for comparing AMD processors number of cores and speed can be found here: (AMD Processor Comparison)
Sometimes newer generations have more cores and if you have a choice between an older and newer generations of the same processor you typically want the newest one.
Speed
When you see 3.6 GHz or 4.2 GHz and other numbers followed by GHz (Giga Hertz) this is how fast the processor can run commands. This is often called the “Clock Speed” or “Base Clock”.
Most processors these days are multi-core meaning they can run multiple programs at the same time or they could use multiple cores to run a single program if it is designed for it.
Anything over 3 GHz is plenty for your average needs. This is not likely to be what slows down your computer in the near future. In fact most average programs will run just fine on 2.2GHz or faster.
Beware of computers that claim speeds “up to” some number of GHz. These speeds usually only happen if the processor is overclocked and the normal processing speed is significantly lower. Several of these are attempts to put an underpowered mobile processor in a laptop. Often these are computers have frustratingly poor performance.
These speeds and values will tend to go up over time as technology advances. Also quantum computing may blow these conventional processors out of the water in the not too distant future. But for now this should give you a baseline for making a purchasing decision.
Cache
When a computer is running and the processor is working it can only work on so much data at once, regardless of how fast it is. The Cache is like the desk space the processor has to put things it needs close at hand. Information in the Cache can be grabbed very quickly. The next closest place to get data is in RAM (Memory).
Having a larger cache means the processor can keep more data close by and make fewer calls into memory to work on what it needs. For the most part you can ignore this number. Although if comparing 2 options of similar price, a larger Cache is better.
Memory (or RAM)
The simple answer to “How much memory do I need?” is 4 GB, minimum.
If you aren’t planning on doing anything special with your PC and just want it to run fast without worrying about this at all, 4 GB should be plenty. If you can afford a little more and want a little more, go ahead.
RAM (Random Access Memory) or Memory is a space on your computer typically used by the current application you are running and by processes that are running in the background including the computer’s operating system.
If you have read the sections about the CPU, you will remember I said the CPU is like working with something in your hand and the CPU Cache is like having things on your desk nearby.
Well RAM is similar to keeping things in the same room with you. Still pretty easy and fast to get to.
Modern operating systems typically need 1-2GB to run efficiently, before running other programs on top of them. Then you are going to add in an Anti Virus program of some kind (most Windows machines are already running Windows Defender these days) which will want some amount of space to run to keep your system safe.
If you are anything like me, you will end up with 20+ tabs open in a browser at some point. At this point you are probably knocking on at least 3 GB of usage.
Well when you run out of space in your room what do you have to do? That’s right, put stuff in storage to make space. That is exactly what your computer does.
Your computer uses some of your Hard Drive for something called “Swap” space. It puts the stuff that it needs for the program that can’t fit into memory here and swaps it in and out of memory as needed. Basically pretending like it is extra RAM but it is not as efficient.
This is like keeping something in a storage closet next to your office. It takes some time to go in there and find what you need and get it out. Same for your computer. It takes longer to get things off of the Hard Drive making the computer feel slow.
The less RAM you have and the more often you switch programs, the more often your computer will have to “Swap” data from RAM to your Hard Drive slowing it down.
If you are doing normal everyday stuff with your computer, this section won’t matter to you. Almost every computer component has some sort of speed. Memory is no different.
You will see things like DDR3, DDR4 etc. on memory. These are simply notations of the different memory implementations. DDR4 is typically faster and more efficient than DDR3. They are usually followed by a number that notates the memory’s top speed in MHZ. A larger number usually means faster memory.
Word of warning, the memory speed does not matter if your computer’s motherboard does not support it. This is only really important for people trying to upgrade their current machine or build their own from scratch.
Hard Drive (or Storage)
Currently there are 2 main types of hard drives, Conventional (HDD) and Solid State Drives (SSD).
Conventional Drives (HDD)
Conventional hard drives are platters coated in magnetic material and read or written to using a small arm with a magnetic tip. The arm moves back and forth as the platter spins in order to access the information you want. For normal file storage, a conventional hard drive is probably the most economic option you can use.
When shopping for one there are 2 major factors to consider, speed and size.
If you keep a lot of files or programs on your PC, especially video or pictures, you will want a large hard drive. Thankfully you can find a Terabyte (~ 1000 GB) drive for around $50 (at time of this writing). This is an insane amount of storage and if you start filling it up, it might be time to move a bunch of files off onto a external backup drive to save space.
Most conventional drives come in 1 of 2 speeds, 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM. If you can, get the 7200 RPM drive. The drive speed is how fast the disk spins which becomes how fast files can be read or written to the drive. The hard drive often becomes a bottleneck to the whole computer when coping large files or large amounts of files because it can only spin so fast.
Solid State Drives (SSD)
A solution to not being able to spin fast enough is to not spin at all. That is what gives solid state drives their name. They have no moving parts and their read and write speeds are typically 4X faster than conventional drives at their worst. If you were copying a large batch of file, this might mean 15 minutes instead of an hour.
This performance comes at a cost however as that same $50 that got you a terabyte of storage of HDD will only get you about 240GB of storage space (again at time of writing). Modern operating systems will take up a good portion of your hard drive to begin with which can start to limit you as you start installing programs and saving files.
A great budget solution is to have a 2 hard drive computer. Use a SSD to boot your operating system and run most of your programs for the faster load times while using a HDD for file storage since it is cheaper for more space.
Prices typically go down overtime so keep an eye out. You may be able to find a size of SSD that makes sense for you at a good price soon.
An additional note for SSDs is that since they have no moving parts they are less prone to failure because of being dropped or getting impacted in some way. For this reason you should value an SSD highly in a laptop or in a computer that will get moved a lot.
Video Card (*Optional)
If you are using two monitors, and you definitely should, you may need a video card. Outside of running the latest greatest video games, a simple video card will suffice for handling a second monitor. It will also free up your CPU from having to handle video processing giving you an overall better performance.
Some Other Considerations
Ports
What are you planning on plugging into your PC? Most PCs these days have some number of ports of various kinds. Make sure the one you are buying has enough USB ports for your peripherals and the right kind of other ports for any other devices you need to plug in.
Additionally, if you are not installing a video card, make sure it has the correct video port for whatever monitor you are using.
Size
If the PC is going to be sitting on your desk or you are planning on putting it in some sort of nook designed for a PC in your desk, a large frame may cause you some headaches. Just something to keep in mind when making your choice.
Power Consumption and Power Supply
A more efficient power supply will allow your computer to run on less electricity. Since your computer is likely to be on for more than 8 hours per day, this may be worth some consideration. Also, if you wish to upgrade your video card to a more powerful one at a later date, you will want a power supply that can support its power needs.
Cost
I have no idea what your budget is. If you don’t really have a limit, go have fun and buy whatever is top of the line. If you are a little more budget conscious, refurbished computers can be the way to go. Usually turned into like new from a licensed professional, they are an excellent way to get more bang for your buck.
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