When looking at buying a new computer, it can be a bit of a minefield out there. Often, we recommend a good spec for the average user of an I5 CPU, 8 Gb RAM and a SSD disk – but what actually does this all mean?
The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the brains of the computer and is used to process all the instructions that come into the computer, for instance calculating spreadsheets, drawing apps or playing games. An Intel i5 CPU is a mid-range one, an alternative brand AMD has an equivalent CPU called Ryzen 5.
RAM (Random Access Memory) programs eg Word, excel, Edge etc are loaded into memory when you click on them for fast access. The more memory you have the more Apps you can run at the same time. 8GB is recommended specification.
SSD – (solid state disk) Discs are use d in computers to permanently store information and data, so when you switch off your computer, its safely stored for future use. Apps, Windows and your documents, pictures and music are all stored on a disc. Put simply a SSD disc has no moving parts so is very quick at loading apps and Windows 10. Whereas a conventional disc has several recordable platters on it which have to spin around to locate and record data – hence is a lot slower.
