Do you feel mystified when it comes to computer jargon or technical terms?

Don’t worry, I’ll try and simplify things for you.

Let’s start with some of the main computer jargon terms used.

The Central Processing Unit or the brains of your computer. The bit that processes all the data you give it. CPUs come in different types and speeds. There are two main manufacturers of CPUs for computers, Intel and AMD. Generally the faster the speed of the CPU the more information it can process, i.e. the more work it can do. Most current computers have processors that run at 2 Gigahertz or faster. That’s 2,000,000,000 operations a second.

Random Access Memory. The working memory of your computer and is currently measured in Gigabytes (GB). Most new computers come with at least 4GB of RAM. The more RAM you have the more your computer can do. It is like an office desk, the bigger the desk, the more paperwork you can have open. The more RAM you have the more programs you can have open and running at the same time, therefore the faster your computer will run. When you switch your computer off, all the information stored in RAM is lost.

3) Hard Drive

This is the storage area where all the information on your computer is held. The data on the hard drive is NOT lost when the computer is turned off. All your pictures, documents, music etc. is stored on the hard drive. Therefore, the bigger the drive is the more music or pictures you can store on it. Most current computers come with at least a 500GB hard drive. You can easily extend this storage by purchasing an external hard drive that plugs into your computer. Recent advances in technology have seen an increase in the use of SSDs or Solid State Drives. These types of storage devices are generally smaller capacity but much faster than traditional hard drives as they do not have any moving parts. However, they are more expensive per Gigabyte of storage, usually around 3-4 times the price of a traditional drive of the same capacity.

4) Graphics card

This refers to your computers display. A graphics card is an add on circuit board which plugs into the main board of your computer. The better the graphics card then the higher resolution it can display. Computer games can require a lot of graphics power so those people who do a lot of gaming, especially 3D games, choose a higher powered graphics card. Most graphics cards have their own, dedicated graphics RAM, although some systems share the RAM with the main computer.

Damian.