As we all know by now, each computer inside is composed of numerous parts all connected to each other in a very similar way to what happens in the human body and the main ones are: the motherboard which is a bit the backbone, the processor is the brain and then there is the memory which is divided into two parts, RAM, volatile and fast, and disk, where the files are kept. Depending on the qualities of each individual part, a computer can be faster or slower. In this article we try to see, briefly, what are the most important technical characteristics on which the performance of a computer depends, be it a PC or a smartphone or a tablet.
The speed and capabilities of a computer depend on the processor, RAM and disk .
1) Processor or CPU
The processor obviously influences the performance of the computer, in the sense that the faster the processor is processing data, the faster the program operations will be. For example, assuming you are using a program that has to do a lot of math to solve a complex operation, the completion time will be less if the CPU is more powerful. The speed of a processor is called a clock, it is measured by the number of operations it can do in a second and is calculated in Hz.
We currently say that on the processor market there are processors of 3 GHz or more. In addition, modern CPUs are made with two or more independent processors, called cores, which allow you to perform multiple operations simultaneously or to balance the load so that the processor never gets to be 100% busy, effectively blocking every operation.
Other details on the characteristics of the processors have been described in the guide on how to choose the Motherboard and CPU of the computer.
From what has been said, it is therefore obvious that the processor greatly influences the performance of a computer, especially if you are using programs that require a lot of data processing such as, for example, the conversion and editing of videos or 3D graphics. Since, however, the evolution of processors in recent years is not that it has been so big from a technological point of view and since there has also been a certain standardization between Intel and AMD CPU, we say that on a laptop or desktop the processor is not the most important thing to look at .
READ ALSO: How to speed up your PC to the max
2) RAM memory
RAM is the memory where the data processed by the CPU and loaded from the disk resides. Let's say that the disk loads some files, these, to remain available during the execution of a program, remain loaded on the RAM which is a fast access memory. The amount of RAM in a computer greatly affects its performance because the more memory it has, the more data can be saved temporarily (as long as the computer stays on) without having to be reloaded from the disk. In general, without exceeding certain limits (I would not go beyond 16 GB), the more RAM there is, the better.
One might think that the speed of a computer also depends on the speed of RAM. In reality, however, with modern processors, you will not really notice any difference between a fast 1600 MHz RAM and a 2400 MH, unless you are using programs with high demand for data processing such as the usual 3D graphics conversion software videos or applications of complex mathematical calculations. Only for these types of operations the speed of RAM and also that of the CPU is very important and decisive. In the case of a PC for normal use, we can also use old RAM cards, the important thing is that the total memory is at least 4 GB (for Windows 32 bit system) or 8 GB for 64 bit systems.
As already explained, RAM is the most important part of the computer and all the details are in the article on which RAM to choose and how much RAM to buy.
3) The Disc
While RAM is fast memory, the disk is considered slow memory, the one that takes time to load data, which however remains permanently saved, until the user deletes them manually. The performance of a computer depends decisively on the disk . You can have a PC with the fastest processor in the world with tens of Giga of RAM, but if the data is saved on a traditional mechanical hard disk, even the best on the market, then this will be a bottleneck that will frustrate every effort., as if driving a Ferrari with the handbrake pulled. Things improve a lot if you use an SSD disk on your computer, that is a solid state drive like it is on all tablets.
The SSD is much faster than the mechanical hard drive and works similarly to USB sticks. Conversely, as written in the article on the differences between SSD and HDD hard drives, large SSDs cost much more than hard drives, which can go up to 2 TB or more without problems. The ideal situation for a computer would be to have the operating system and programs installed on the SSD that acts as the main disk, while the fixed files such as documents, videos, photos all stored on a hard disk with plenty of space.
The other components are ancillary and do not significantly affect the speed and performance of a computer. Certainly a modern motherboard allows you to install the latest generations of processors and RAM cards and will be more efficient from the point of view of electricity and connections, but it does not affect the speed of the computer much. The video card is useful for those who play the latest generation of video games, but it is not decisive for PC performance.
Finally, it should be noted that the operating system used is important for the performance of a computer . All the above talk refers to a Windows PC or a Mac or even to a computer with a full Ubuntu Linux system. However, if you take an old computer, very slow with Windows 7, and install an ultra light operating system on it, then its performance would be the same as a last generation computer.
Those who have an old computer can then bring it back to full working conditions by installing one of the best lightweight Linux operating systems.
READ ALSO: Things to know before buying a new computer
