Operating System (i.e.

Windows XP, SP 2 or Mac

OS X 10.3.8)
Processor Speed (i.e. Pentium 4, 3.2 GHz or Power
PC G5, 2.0 GHz)
Memory, a.k.a. RAM (i.e. 512 MB)
Hard Disk Space (i.e. 80 GB available)
Graphics Card (i.e. ATI Radeon 9800 w/ 256 MB
video memory)
I/O Ports (i.e. USB, Firewire, Serial, Parallel, SCSI,
VGA, DVI ports)

In broad terms, the performance of a

computer depends on Four Factors :
Central Processing Unit
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Graphics System
Internal hard drive speed and
capacity

CENTRAL
PROCESSING
UNIT

The speed of a computer's

processor chip (technically
known as its "clock speed") is
measured in gigahertz (GHz), with
the fastest modern processors
currently running at up to 4.7GHz.

CPU performance is now determined by

far more than raw speed alone. Intel
made this very clear when it introduced
its system ofprocessor numbers. These
provide an indication of a processor's
"architecture", "cache" and "front side
bus (FSB) speed" in addition to its clock
speed.

Thearchitectureof a
processor is the most
important factor to determine
its performance, and refers to
its basic design and
complexity.

Cacheis a form of very fast memory

integrated into the processor chip,
and used to store up instructions
(work for the processor) so that it
has to slow down as little as
possible between tasks.

Front side bus (FSB) speedis a

measure of how fast a
microprocessor communicates
with the computer's main circuit
board (or "motherboard") into
which it is physically connected.

RAM

RAM is measured in megabytes (MB)

and gigabytes (GB), as detailed on
thestoragepage. Just how much
RAM a computer needs depends on
thesoftwareit is required to run
effectively.

A computer running Windows XP will

usually function quite happily with
1GB of RAM, whereas twice this
amount (such as 2GB) is the realistic
minimum for computers running
Windows 7.

GRAPHIC
SYSTEM

A computer's graphics
system determines how well
it can work with visual
output.

HARD DRIVE
CAPACITY
AND SPEED

Two key factors determine the speed

of traditional, spinning hard disks.
The first is the rotational velocity of
the physical disk itself. This can
currently be 4200, 5400, 7200, 10000
or 15000 rpm (revolutions per
minute).

The faster the disk spins, the quicker data can

be read from or written to it, hence the faster
the disk the better (although faster disks
consumer more power, make more noise, and
generate more heat). Most desktop hard disks
run at either 5400 or 7200 rpm, whilst most
laptop hard disks run at 4200 or 5400.

The second key factor that

determines performance of a
traditional, internal hard disk is the
interface used to connect it to the
computer's motherboard.

THREE TYPES OF INTERFACE EXIST

SCSI (Small Computer System
Interface)
Integrated Device Electronics (IDE)
Serial Advance Technology
Attachment (SATA)

SCSI (Small Computer System

Interface)

Integrated Device Electronics (IDE)

Serial Advance Technology

Attachment (SATA)

QUIZ

1-4
WHAT ARE THE FOUR
FACTORS THAT AFFECTS
THE PERFORMANCE
OF A COMPUTER?

5. WHAT IS MY FULL
NAME?

ANSWERS

1. Central Processing Unit

2. Random Access Memory
(RAM)
3. Graphics System
4. Internal hard drive speed and
capacity
5. Jomari D. Macayan