Things about Computers you may have thought about

[mchud11]

Michael Chudzinski here. Basically a list and possibly a discussion, if need be about "things about computers you may have thought about, or wondered about". Some tips from my years of experience in personal computing, the PC world (not the mac world). General things, with specifics elaborated, that come into my mind, and additions, if I can continue to edit the post, when I realize "oh, I should add that, too". The information posted here, does overlap, so in reading the post, a concept or idea may apply in more than one item, but be discussed in only one item.

1) When you buy a graphics card, what you are paying for, is a combination of speed, amount of memory on the card, and the manufacturer. The most important thing of the three, is speed, secondly the amount of memory. And third, what "upward compatibility" the manufacturer is committed to.

Explained: You look at a graphics card from the standpoint of how much work the card is going to do for you, that is, what do I need this card to do, is it play video games, do High Definition movies, and so on. Once you have determined speed, then you think about how many more dollars you are willing to spend on having a card with a higher memory density, that is more memory on the card. Third, you think about the manufacturer. In other words, you think, ok, Microsoft is in the business of selling upgrades, does the manufacturer have a real commitment to keeping the software that runs the card up to date with what Microsoft brings to the market.

2) A computer is a vast array of integrated and discrete devices. What you pay for is the technology and secondly "the extras". A price of a computer is more of less determined by how close to the "state of the art the computer" is. Secondly, the stuff that come with it, for instance a 500 gig drive, compared to a 750 gig drive.

Explained: Computers are a compromise. Computers, in a way, are no different than cars in a way. When you look at a car in the show room, what is just about the first thing you see? Its a sticker that says "25mph da, da" "32mph highway". With a computer, you do not see this sticker,

if you are following me. The concept (i.e. the analog of car MPG to computers) is called "throughput". This concept, is the idea that a computer, having all these tiny, tiny devices on it, is a machine, a machine that has a weakest link. A computer is a chain of devices, with a weakest link. Trust me when I say, I would have to spend an inordinate amount of time in my own purchases to find the weakest link of a PC, but it is there. But I regress...anyway, throughput is the objective measure of how fast things get done on the computer with all things considered, the strongest link down to the weakest link of this chain of devices we call a computer. Computers are priced at a premium for state of the art and the price goes down from there. The sweet spot, so to speak of computers for price, is, in my opinion, a bit above the middle, above older technology, below the state of the art technology. Secondly, price is determined by the extras, more memory, a larger hard drive, and I am referring to these extras in the general sense, not the sense that you can pay more money for an upgrade on a particular model, I am saying in comparing one pc to another pc, even if the pc you are comparing is one of a line of pc's any given manufacturer offers. You weigh the value of the extras in comparing one pc to another pc, second to how close a pc is to the state of the art from the choices available.

3) Upgrades are nice, but every computer is manufactured with limited upgradability.

Explained: Obviously a computer that comes onto the market is only upgrade-able for a limited amount of time. New technologies come out, new standards are developed. I am merely saying that part of the price of the computer is based on how upgrade-able a PC is. A lower priced PC, for the most part, has more limitations on its ability to be upgraded, than a higher priced PC is. Its that idea that we live in a "disposable world", the world in which we live is oriented more to the short term, than the long term.

Enough for now..regards..michael

Edited February 6, 2009 by mchud11