Computer Literacy for IC 3 Unit 1: Computing Fundamentals © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.1 Chapter 3 Evaluating, Purchasing, and Maintaining Computer Equipment

© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.2 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

Learning Outcomes Identify the different types of platforms that are available for personal computers Identify the criteria for choosing a platform Identify the criteria for deciding between a laptop computer and a desktop computer Identify the relationship between processor word size and clock speed Identify the role of multi-core processors © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.3

Learning Outcomes (cont’d) Identify the effects of RAM speed Identify the effects of RAM capacity Identify the role of RAM expandability Identify hard drive factors in computer performance Identify factors involved in selecting an LCD monitor Identify video card factors in computer performance © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.4

Learning Outcomes (cont’d) Determine video RAM on a computer Identify Internet connection speed variables Identify network connection speed variables Identify optical storage options Identify the different methods of obtaining software Identify fan noise level Identify how to maximize computer performance/price ratio Identify how to protect computers from theft © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.5

Learning Outcomes (cont’d) Identify how to protect a computer from overheating Identify how to protect a computer from humidity and water Identify how to protect a computer from magnetic fields Identify how to protect a computer from power surges Identify how to protect a computer from brownouts and power outages © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.6

Learning Outcomes (cont’d) Identify how to protect a computer from voltage differences while traveling Identify how to protect a computer from static electricity Identify maintenance issues that can be avoided by cleaning Identify maintenance issues on the hard drive ; Identify how to remove unwanted files Identify maintenance that should be done by professionals Identify the steps used to add or replace expansion or memory cards in the computer © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.7

Learning Outcomes (cont’d) Identify the steps used to add or replace expansion or memory cards in the computer Identify the steps used to add or replace optical or hard drives in the computer Identify common problems associated with computer hardware Identify the steps used to solve computer-related problems © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.8

Learning Outcomes (cont’d) Identify when and how to seek help Identify the differences in hardware warranties Identify the use of support agreements such as service contracts Estimate the useful life of a computer Identify how to dispose of old computer equipment © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.9

Platforms Combination of operating system and hardware is a platform Operating system Software that allows application software to work with specific types of hardware Common platforms Windows/Processor (Intel or AMD) Mac OS X/Intel Processor Linux /Processor (Intel or AMD) 10© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.

Choosing a Platform Things to consider Software requirements Cross-platform file management Backward compatibility Drivers for peripheral devices Cost 11© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.

Choosing Between Desktop and Portable Computers Desktop computers Cost less Notebooks and laptops Portable Take up less space Higher cost More likely to be stolen 12© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.

Relationships Among Factors Determine tasks the computer will perform Consider software, platform, and location 13© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.

Processor Word Size and Clock Speed Word size Unit of data that processor can work with PCs use 32-bit and 64-bit word size Display billions of different colors Characters in hundreds of languages Clock speed Circuit on a computer chip that emits pulses Measured in hertz Newer PCs-3 GHz (three billion cycles per second) © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.14

Multi-Core Computing Multi-Core Two or more processors Dual-core and quad-core Included on single microprocessor © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.15

Effects of RAM Speed and Capacity RAM Measured by response time in nanoseconds (ns) Measured by quantity of data stored in megabytes Used to store instructions from software applications If RAM is too slow, May cause errors and malfunctions If RAM capacity is too small May cause computer to use virtual memory 16© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.

Hard Disk Factors Hard disk – magnetic media Heads – read and write magnetic data Capacity measured in gigabytes (GB) Speed of rotation – revolutions per minute (rpm) Faster rotation = faster performance Head movement speed 17© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.

Monitors and Video Card Factors Pixel Picture element, point of light on the monitor High-resolution monitors: 1680x1050 pixels Lower-resolution monitors: 800x600 pixels Various video cards Active-matrix Screen refreshes each pixel as needed Passive-matrix Scans a row or column of pixels at a time and refreshes pixels with each scan 18© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.

Video Connections Digital Video Interface (DVI) ports S-video port – TV connection Video Graphics Array (VGA) ports © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.19

Identifying Video Card Factors © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.20 Display Settings dialog box Video card specifications Video RAM

Connection Speed Factors Internet connection speed Telephone voice lines – slowest Broadband is 30 times faster than voice lines Asynchronous digital subscriber line (ADSL) is fast Network connection speed Common Network interface devices operate at 100+ megabits per second © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.21

Additional Purchase Considerations Optical data storage Software needs Software sources Other concerns © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.22

Optical Data Storage Options Compact discs 700 MBs of data DVD Nearly 5 GBs of data Blu-ray Up to 50 gigabytes of data 23© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.

Software and Sources Site license Prepackaged with computer Freeware, shareware, and trials Student discount Retail software 24© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.

Other Considerations Fan noise level Maintenance contracts Return policies Performance/price ratio Organizational standards 25© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.

Protecting Computers from Theft To protect computers from theft Use cables with locks Lock doors and limit access to rooms with computers Attach unique identifying tag to computer Record serial number in separate location Install tracking software 26© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.

Factors That Damage Computers Overheating Humidity Magnetic fields Electromagnetic interference Electrical damage Power surges Power fluctuations Voltage differences Static electricity © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.27

Common Problems Dust and dirt Overheated processor Sticky keys Malfunctioning mouse Printing problems Clogged jets or dirty rollers Hard disk problems Full disk, fragmentation, temporary files 28© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.

Reducing Fragmentation © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.29 Windows Vista’s Disk Defragmenter feature Defragmenter set to run automatically

Protection from Electrical Damage Surges Use power strip with circuit breaker Surge suppressor UPS – uninterruptible power supply © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.30

Professional Maintenance Replacing and adding: Power supply Expansion cards Sound cards, video cards, and network cards RAM Disk drives Floppy, optical, and hard disk Processor 31© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.

Common Hardware Problems Nothing happens High-pitched whine Floppy won’t read Blank screen Distorted images New peripheral device doesn’t work 32© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.

Steps to Resolve a Problem 1.Isolate the problem(s) 2.Restart the computer 3.Troubleshooting guide 4.Reproduce the problem 5.Document the problem 6.Find qualified help 7.Provide specific info 8.Use a repair shop © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.33

Consumer Rights and Responsibilities Hardware warranties Service contracts (maintenance contracts) Useful life of a computer Technology disposal © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.34

Objectives Covered Identified criteria for selecting a personal computer Identified factors that affect computer performance Identified other factors to consider when purchasing a computer Protected a computer from theft and physical damage © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.35

Objectives Covered Identified maintenance issues Identified and solved hardware problems Identified consumer rights and responsibilities © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.36

Questions? © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. | Publishing as Prentice Hall.37