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The processor, memory, and motherboard act as a team. The
processor and memory plug into the motherboard. You don't
usually choose a motherboard when picking out a PC; rather,
you choose a processor and an amount of memory and the PC
maker uses a motherboard that will support your choices.
The Processor
The processor is the brain of your computer. The faster the
processor, the faster the computer will be able to work overall,
and the more expensive the system will be.
Processor speed is measured in megahertz (MHz). Generally
speaking, the greater the MHz of the processor, the faster
the computer runs. For example, an 800 MHz processor runs
much faster than a 400 MHz processor.
Intel is the leading brand of processor; they make the very
popular Pentium III, of which Celeron is a subset. A competitor
is AMD, who makes the Athlon processors. They're widely considered
to be just as good as Intel processors, but they usually cost
less. One thing to watch, though -- many companies put AMD
processors only in their lower-end, home-based PCs, that tend
to use proprietary parts. (I'll explain more about proprietary
parts later, and why they're not a good thing.)
Memory
The processor works very closely with the memory, a.k.a.
Random Access Memory (RAM). RAM, measured in megabytes (MB),
is where your computer temporarily stores information that's
on its way to or from the processor. Generally speaking, the
more RAM a computer has, the faster it runs and the more programs
you can have open at the same time. When a computer is turned
off, the information in RAM is lost. An average system has
64MB of RAM these days, but more and more systems are coming
with 128MB.
Most systems allow you to add more memory later, so if you
start out with a small amount of memory in your new PC, and
then realize you want more, you can easily have it added at
a local computer store (or, if you're feeling intrepid, you
can add it yourself). However, adding additional RAM later
is less convenient and may cost more than buying it with your
computer. Be careful, though, that you buy a PC that uses
standard memory. Some manufacturers require proprietary memory
for later upgrades, and it's nearly always very expensive.
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