Jargon Buster

Ever wanted to know when your kids come up and say can get we this computer it has Core i7 3.2 Gigahertz,
12 Gigabytes of RAM and a Terrabyte Hard drive?

You say yes sure kids lets just get it. hehehe. Well you know I will try to explain what all the Gigabytes and Terrabytes mean so you can make a informed decision about what might be right for you.

CPU: (Central Processing Unit)

The CPU or Central Processing Unit is the heart of the computer it does all the stuff you see behind the scenes of your computer.

CPUs are a measurement of how fast a computer can calculate instructions. You might see in computer store advertisements a CPU that is measured at 3.0 Ghz this means that it can process upto 3,000,000,000 calculations per second.

RAM: (Random Access Memory)

This sort of memory is for short term memory. It is used mainly for the CPU and programs to store programs in while the computer is switched on. This memory is completely wiped clean when the power for the computer is switched off. The more memory RAM a computer has in it the faster it can go.

HDD: (Hard Disk Drive)

This is where the computer stores its programs including Windows and Office. This memory remains intact when the computer is switched off. Most hard drives start at about 320 Gigabytes. Which is approximately 320,000,000,000 bytes. 1 single 6 megapixel file is about 3,000,000 so you could store approximately 100,000 photos on a single 320 GB Hard Disk Drive

DVD: (Digital Video Disk)

These come in many flavours DVD-RW Recorder which allows you to burn your files and memories to disk. You can store approximately 4,700,000,000 bytes worth of information on a single sided DVD disk.