Glad you’re still hanging in there for these basic computer tips. If you missed the first two topics, you can review the Introduction to the topic and Operating Systems section.
CPU
The Central Processing Unit is the brain: it analyzes information to obtain results.
Here the choices are innumerable, starting with the most common manufacturers: Intel or AMD. The former is considered the reigning champ, the latter a once worthy opponent nowadays only sustained by fervid fans of its former brawny glory. I see no advantages on purchasing an AMD over an Intel.
If you own anything prior to a Pentium processor, than this blog is written on stone, which you should use to bash your archaic system to smithereens before you go out and buy something belonging to this century/millennium.
Pentium had a bland brother, the Celeron, which missed its sibling’s charms and smarts, but was cheaper to acquire. Celeron and celerity are not related.
Pentium eventually grew up and multiplied, literally, as today we have multi-core processors, that is, multiple CPUs on the same die. The very least you should consider for a speedy system is a Core 2 Duo. A quad core would be better, as modern software can take advantage of its multi-threading capabilities. What multi-core means, in practice, is that you have that many more brains thinking at the same time, so that if one of them maxes out trying to solve one problem, the others can intervene on the same, or different ones.
Since there are so many processor options, in case of upgrade particular attention should be devoted to purchasing the right format of CPU for your motherboard (the base on which the electronic components reside), as the pins layout, power requirements, etc. can vary quite dramatically
Core speed is in my opinion not as important. At the same frequency, a Pentium will be faster than a Celeron, a quad quicker than a duo. A user should purchase the best processor his budget can justify, rather than the fastest.
Two more segments covering the topic of RAM and Hard Drive will complete this series of Computer Tips for your law firm… stay tuned!
- Are Your Marketing Pieces Printing with Blurry Images? - June 23, 2017
- Part 5, Hard Drives: Computer Tips for Your Estate Planning Law Firm - June 16, 2010
- Part 4, RAM: Computer Tips for Your Estate Planning Law Firm - June 9, 2010
