1. A PC Buying Guide Office graphic copyright by Microsoft Corp.

2. A PC Buying Guide2 Overview l Confused about PC ads? l PC or Mac? l Select desktop, tower, mini-tower or notebook computers l Buy from hundreds of companies, retail, mail-order or E commerce

3. A PC Buying Guide3 Overview l Select mouse, trackball or pen l Select Storage n Hard disk n CD-ROM and CD-recordable devices n Removable disk drives l Fax-modem card l Sound card l Video Adapters l Tape Backup Units

4. A PC Buying Guide4 Personal Computer History l IBM offered PC in 1981 l Intel designed microprocessor for IBM platform l Microsoft designed operating system l Open design created IBM PC Compatible market l Upgraded with expansion cards

5. A PC Buying Guide5 The Microprocessor l Clock Speed l Megahertz l Intel CPU Performance index (iCOMP)

6. A PC Buying Guide6

7. 7 Memory l Memory - temporary, fast storage area that holds data, instructions, and results, and passes everything to the CPU l RAM = Random Access Memory l Byte = 1 character l Kilobyte = 1,024 bytes l Megabyte ~ million bytes l Minimum 64 -128

8. A PC Buying Guide8 Auxiliary Storage l Floppy disks l Hard disk = Fixed Disk l Gigabyte ~ 1 billion bytes l Access Time l High Density = 1.44MB l Removable Disks l CD ROM l Second Hard Disk

9. A PC Buying Guide9 Video System l Video system consists of the monitor and display adapter card l Pixels l VGA l Super VGA l Dot Pitch l Vertical Refresh Rate l Video (display) adapter l Flat Screen

10. A PC Buying Guide10 Local Bus Bus is circuitry that transports data to/from the motherboard to other peripheral devices

11. A PC Buying Guide11 Printers l Dot matrix - inexpensive, noisy, dotted characters l Inkjet - quiet, color, excellent quality, high cost of ink, type of ink l Laser - speed, highest quality,

12. A PC Buying Guide12 Fax/Modem Card l Modem n Modulate n Demodulate l Bit = binary digit l bps = bits per second l Fax/modem card l Recommendation: Buy at least 56K or High Speed Internet

13. A PC Buying Guide13 Multimedia l CD-ROM Compact Disk, Read Only Memory l Access time l Speeds l Transfer Rate l DVD l Sound card needed for microphone and speakers

14. A PC Buying Guide14 A Guide to Smart Shopping l Research and Plan - One Stop Shopping l Start at University Computer Center or Bookstore l Retail Store l Mail Order/Ecommerce l User Buyer Protection Plan l Service l Software Bundling may not be your best buy

15. A PC Buying Guide15 Buying a Computer Hands-On Exercise 1 1. Dell Computer 2. Configure the System 3. View Your Shopping Cart 4. Print Your Order 5. Comparison Shopping

16. A PC Buying Guide16 Summary l Computer is a big-ticket item l Consider Local Service and Support l Insist on a guarantee l Include software in your computer budget l Microprocessor, memory, hard disk and monitor are major performance and pricing considerations l One stop shopping l Firm’s track record

17. A PC Buying Guide17 Resources l http://help.unc.edu/documentation l http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/taylor/buy/index.html l http://www.prenhall.com/grauer/internet/student/P CBuying.doc.html l http://www.bus.miami.edu/~rgrauer l www.intel.com n search for iCOMP l http://www.scsite.com/dc2000/ch8/DC2_Main_bu yers3_8.cfm