When shopping for a new computer, it can be difficult to select the machine that’s right for you unless you understand some of the terminology used to describe the computer’s features. Computers are rather complicated things and because of that, the specs that they are measured in can be difficult to comprehend in a way that is meaningful and useful to you. If you are having a hard time comprehending computer lingo and specs as you shop for a new device, it may help to think about a computer as something more relevant and familiar to you - like a kitchen.
Here, we will go over the most common computer components that are advertised when shopping for a machine and break them down into simpler terms using the kitchen as an analogy for comparison.
Computer Processor - The Stovetop
One of the first terms you will encounter as you shop for a computer is the computer processor, or CPU. This is essentially the brains of the computer. Using our kitchen analogy, you can think of a CPU as being the stovetop. This is where the actual “cooking” or “processing” goes on. The overall performance and speed of a computer is usually determined by the processor (but not solely, as you’ll soon realize), so selecting a computer with an appropriate processor to handle the activities you wish to accomplish on your machine is important.
Processor Clock Speed
Processors are described in a fairly standard measure when shopping for computers. Let’s take the new 2015 13” MacBook Air as an example. The baseline model has a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor. Okay, but what does this mean? The “1.6GHz” part refers to what we call the clock speed of the processor. The clock speed describes how many signals can be pushed through the processor in a single second. Most computers nowadays measure this speed in gigahertz (GHz). 1.6GHz means that 1.6 billion signals (giga=billion) can be pushed through the MacBook Air’s processor in a single second. Wow, that’s a lot! So, a higher clock speed means more signals are able to be processed in a given time period, which means a faster computer, right? You’re getting there, but this isn’t necessarily true.
Processor Cores
Computers nowadays usually have multi-core processors. You can see the 13” MacBook Air has a “1.6GHz dual-core” processor, meaning there are two separate 1.6GHz processors operating in the same package as a single-core 1.6GHz processor. This is important because computer can have quad-core, eight-core, even ten-core processors that are measured with the same clock speed! However, a quad-core 1.6GHz processor would be much faster than a dual-core 1.6GHz processor. Going back to our stovetop example, the clock speed or GHz of the processor would be equivalent to the level of heat a stovetop burner is capable of providing and the amount of cores would be equivalent to the total number of burners on the stovetop.
This is why clock speed is not the ultimate indicator of a processor’s speed. If we compare a 2GHz dual-core processor with a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, the quad-core will actually be able to process more despite the lower clock speed. It would be the same as if we were cooking two large meals of the same size on a two-burner stovetop with each burner at 400 degrees vs a four-burner stovetop with each burner at 375 degrees. The four burner-stove would be able to finish cooking the meal faster.
Processor Brand Name and Type
The final part of the MacBook Air’s processor, “Intel Core i5”, refers to the name or brand of processor. There are different brands and generations of processors, but to describe their differences is beyond the scope of what we are trying to accomplish here. To learn the differences between the Intel i5 and i7 processors commonly used in the Mac lineup, give this post a read.
RAM - The Kitchen Countertop
Random access memory, or RAM, is the part of the computer responsible for storing information that needs to be quickly accessed at the moment you are using your computer. For example, when you open an app on your Mac, that app uses up some RAM on your computer because all of the app’s resources and data needs to be loaded up on your computer in order to run. Larger programs, such as Photoshop or iMovie, use up more RAM than smaller programs, such as Contacts or Notes. When you quit an app you are in, it is flushed from your computer’s RAM - meaning that RAM is never consumed but rather temporarily occupied by apps and resources that are currently open. This is why you may notice your computer slowing down when you have many things open at once - it is a strain on your computer’s memory.
RAM today is measured in gigabytes (GB). A Mac with 16GB of RAM, like the 15” MacBook Pro with Retina Display, can handle more apps and data open at once than a Mac with 4GB of RAM, such as the 13” MacBook Air. Think of RAM as your kitchen countertop. A computer with more GB’s of RAM would be equivalent to a kitchen with a larger counter. Having a larger countertop allows you to prepare more food and beverages at once and you can store a greater amount of food on a larger countertop. However, you typically do not store food on the countertop permanently. You only keep food there that is either being prepared, presented or while you are eating it. This is the same with RAM. When you are done with the food you are preparing, or done with an app you are using, you store it elsewhere. This brings us to our last computer spec.
Hard Drive Storage - The Refrigerator
Your computer’s hard drive is where all of the information on your computer is stored. Much like RAM, storage is also measured in gigabytes (GB) or terabytes (TB). There are roughly 1,000GB in 1TB. Think of the hard drive as your refrigerator. The kitchen pantry could also be used as a comparison. With both the fridge and pantry, you are storing food and items that you will need to use at some point in the future. You can typically hold a lot more food in your fridge and pantry than you can on your countertop and this is also true for RAM and hard drive storage. A computer will always have more storage available on the hard drive than in its RAM. When it comes times to prepare a meal, you retrieve food and ingredients from the pantry or fridge and move them to the countertop. When you open an app or document on the computer, that information is transferred from the hard drive to the RAM (not all of it, but don’t mind that for this comparison). Make sense?
We hope this helps you grasp a better understanding of how computers work. When you are buying a computer now, you should be able to make more sense of the specs and features you read as you compare options. Our Apple Products Professionals are more than happy to shed light on anything else you may be confused by. We know buying a computer can be a daunting process and we are here to help you every step of the way. Thanks for reading!