COMPUTER BASICS

A simple guide on becoming more familiar with your computer

THE 3 MOST COMMON FORMS OF COMPUTERS
Computers come in various forms. Some of the most common are the Desktop,
Portable computers (Laptops/Notebooks), and Tablet types which can include
most smartphones today.

DESKTOP PORTABLE COMPUTER TABLET

THE DESKTOP
Desktops are the most versatile and cost effective at the
expense of portability. For home and the workplace, a
desktop design will save you money and give you much
more power and configurability. There are many ways
you can customize the hardware in a desktop. You can,
for instance, buy a variety of different graphics cards.
The basic PC (Personal Computer) layout consists of the
CPU ‘Central Processing Unit’ (also called the Box or
Case), a monitor, a keyboard and mouse. The two
generic main styles for the CPU case are the horizontal
Desktop design and the vertical Tower design. Both are
just a matter of preference.
THE PORTABLE
Portable computers are for those who want the power of a desktop pc but in a
more travel friendly size. They are great for people on the go whether it’s for
business or school. Most are not very customizable in that what you see is pretty
much what you get. They generally cost more when compared to a desktop with
the same specifications. If you are running on battery power you usually take a
performance hit because the power saving features will lower many functions. You
can override the power settings to use full power if you’re planning to use it while
it’s plugged in. They are pretty much your ‘all-in-one’ computer that you can plug
an external mouse, keyboard, and monitor into for a full desktop experience. If
you’re looking to play modern games on a laptop though you will be spending a lot
to keep up with a desktop. Games are more demanding on a PC than just about
anything most business software requires.
THE TABLET
These primarily touch screen devices offer even more portability than a laptop.
They come in a variety of sizes and can do some pretty impressive things. They
lack the power of a Desktop or Laptop but generally have built-in features you
don’t usually get in their larger cousins. They can be used as cameras and GPS
devices and with the use of various APPS can be used as a barcode scanner, a
construction level, flashlight, drone remote control, and so many other neat things.
It’s the Swiss Army Knife of portable devices! You can still use them to write
documents, do presentations, listen to music and watch movies. Like the Laptops
you can plug in an external keyboard and mouse.
THE ANATOMY OF A COMPUTER
From here on I will focus mostly on Desktop PCs because if you understand how
the desktop PCs work it will help you better understand how the portable devices
work. Computers consist of several important components:

1. CPU
2. RAM
3. STORAGE
4. OPERATING SYSTEM
5. GRAPHICS

These make up the ‘System Specs’ of your system which are good to know if you
want to buy a new game or program and need to know if your computer can
handle it.
CPU
The CPU is the Brain of your computer. It processes data and
comes in the form of a chip much like the one to the right. The
chip itself may have many different appearances. You won’t see
this chip by simply looking inside your computer case because if
it’s installed properly it will be hidden under a heat sink and
cooling assembly which may or may not have a fan on top. The
power of the CPU is measured by its clock speed, number of
CORES and other capabilities. For most it’s better to understand Microprocessor
that CPUs have a Make (Intel or AMD usually) and a Model with Chip

a Hertz rating. (i.e. INTEL ‘Core i5 8600K’ @ 3.6GHz) or (AMD

Athlon ‘FX 8350 Octa Core’ @ 4GHz)
RAM
R.A.M. ‘Random Access Memory’ is like a worktable that you do all
your work on. The bigger the RAM, the bigger that table is meaning
you can work on bigger projects or have more projects open
simultaneously. RAM is temporary and anything in this memory will
disappear if you restart the computer, so saving to a STORAGE
device is very important. RAM or MEMORY is measured in ‘bytes’ RAM Chip
typically in Gigabytes today. Where a byte is the smallest unit, they
go up to Kilobytes (1024 bytes), Megabytes (1024 Kilobytes),
Gigabytes (1024 Megabytes), and Terabytes (1024 Gigabytes).
Here in 2019 your home desktop should have about 8-16GBs of
RAM as a standard. 4-8GBs is common to see in Notebooks and
Laptops.
STORAGE
Storage Devices are where all the programs you install or download
reside. It is also where you save the things you work on, like pictures,
documents, music, videos, and game progress. Most modern PCs will
have an HDD ‘Hard Disk Drive’ or the newer SSD ‘Solid State Drives’ Hard Disk
Drive
and in some cases both. Other storage devices are what’s called
REMOVABLE STORAGE and those would be Laser Disk Drives like
CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, and Solid Media like SD chips and USB RAM
Drives. These storage devices are like Filing Cabinets that hold all your
data in folders and files. Like RAM their size is measured in ‘bytes’ Solid State
Drive
generally hundreds of Gigabytes, but also Terabytes (1024 Gigabytes).
The major difference is that Hard Disks are generally cheaper and
store a lot more data. Solid State drives are much faster, but pricey.
OPERATING SYSTEM
The OS or Operating System is the environment that is used to
access and manage files, and run programs. The most common is
the Microsoft Windows OS which gives you a graphical interface to
launch and run applications, games, and view multimedia files like Windows
pictures and videos or even play music. For more advanced users,
LINUX and it’s kin can be used in place of Windows. Without an
Operating System, you won’t be able to do anything useful once you
turn your computer on.

Linix
GRAPHICS
The graphics capabilities of a computer are based on what type of
graphics / video card or controller is in your system. Some are
built-in to the mainboard and others are in expansion card form.
Expansion cards are the best way to upgrade the graphics of most
computers even if it has a built-in graphics adapter. For the
average user, whatever you have that came with your computer
should be adequate for your computing needs. If you are into Graphics Card
photo and video editing, 3D cad design, or 3D animation you will
most likely prefer to have a more powerful graphics card especially
if you are into computer games. The latest fastest video card with
the most onboard RAM you can afford is generally what you will
want. Most programs will suggest graphics specifications required.