Many people these days have some misconceptions about technology and, as I have been watching an obscene amount of technology videos lately, I'd like to share my newfound knowledge.
Misconception #1: Adding more RAM (memory) to your computer will make it faster.
Until recently, I believed that adding more memory to a computer makes it faster. I was surprised to learn that, in most cases, this is not true. Adding more RAM to a computer doesn't necessarily guarantee that it will be any faster. Adding an SSD (solid state drive, which is the same type of technology used in phones, iPods, etc. as a means of storage), however, WILL make a difference as your computer can read and write data to it much, much faster than it can to a traditional hard drive. So, yes, 4GB of memory will definitely be enough for the computer of your average Joe. You'll only need to upgrade if you use programs that are very demanding on a computer, such as a video processing program.
Misconception #2: The better the processor, the faster my computer will be.
Once again, I believed in this until just recently. As it so happens, the CPU (central processing unit, a.k.a. the processor) doesn't exactly use itself as a whole when you're, say, playing a web-based game like Candy Crush Saga. Instead, it only uses what it needs to. Why make a processor push out all the power it's capable of when the program you're using only requires it to push out a fraction of that? This applies to multi-core processors as well, i.e. quad-core processors. Just because a processor has more, that does not mean that your computer will be using them all at all times. For most people, an Intel i3 processor will be more than enough. As I said before about RAM, the only time you'll need a higher-end CPU is when you are using programs that are very demanding on the system.
Misconception #3: For a computer to be considered a gaming computer, it needs to have lots of RAM and a high-end CPU.
Watching all of these technology videos has gotten me in the mood (again) to look into building my own custom computer at some point. As with the two previous misconceptions, I believed that gaming computers needed to have high-end hardware. However, once again, I found that I was completely wrong--well, to an extent. What I said before is still valid: You DON'T need 8GB of RAM or an Intel i7 or AMD equivalent for your computer to be a "gaming" computer. Surprisingly, your computer will not be needing much of this when you're playing a game. Most of what it will be dependent on is all in the GPU (graphics processing unit, a.k.a. graphics card). The better the graphics card, the more performance you'll be able to get out of your computer when you want to play a game. Graphics cards are equip with on-board memory (yes, just like RAM) and thus the additional 8GB of RAM, for example, isn't needed. A graphics card with, say, 500MB of memory isn't going to perform as well as one with 1GB or even 2GB.
The problem with a computer you buy from Walmart, for example, is that a majority of them are going to have a stock GPU, or an on-board GPU. Meaning, the GPU is soldered to the motherboard and more than likely isn't going to do a very great job at handling those more-demanding games. The only way to upgrade the graphics on your computer is to purchase a graphics card that can be inserted into a slot on the motherboard. That means, yes, you will have to open your computer and manually insert the card. But, no fear, this is probably one of the simplest upgrades possible.
So, next time you're shopping for a computer, keep all this in mind: Unless you're using some very demanding programs, you DON'T need 8GB of memory and you DON'T need an Intel i7 processor, or even i5. And, although costly, an SSD would be nice to look into, as it improves performance of your computer and is less prone to "crashing" or "dying" like a traditional hard drive very much is. Lastly, for any gamers out there, remember that you also DO NOT need 8GB of RAM or a high-end CPU. Focus mainly on the graphics card of your system and you'll see a difference.
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