Fast Computers

One of the first computers I worked with was the Commodore VIC 20. It had only 5KB (that 5,120 total bytes) of RAM. By comparison a typical PC today has about 1GB (thats 1,073,741,824 total bytes) of RAM. My VIC 20 was quickly replaced by the TRS80 from Radio Shack. This model sported 16KB of ram and a 1.77 MHz processor. We would stay up late, spending hours entering long programs to play simple games that were ripoffs of the day's arcade smash hits.

Ah, the memories, but what does this have to do with your business? I am often asked about computer speeds. How much is enough and how much is too much. Business consumers can easily become inundated with GHz, GB, HDD and Video RAM. The alphabet soup of computer hardware purchases can leave you bewildered to say the least. The problem is that to a large extent, PC hardware has become a commodity of sorts. It started when the first clones of IBM's Personal Computer appeared. Since then, literally thousands of different choices of personal computers have appeared.

The acronyms are one of the ways to compare PC's in the sea of choices. Which has more of this or that kind of memory, the faster processor clock or better display adapter. However, some of these metrics can be misleading to say the least. Take for example, processor speed, I would rather have one of the 2 GHz dual core processors of today than a 3 GHz Pentium 4 of a previous generation.

So, how do you know what to buy. First, look a the software you are planning on using. The hardware should be purchased to be adequate for the software that will run your business. Second, get some input from an tech-savvy consultant or friend. After determining you hardware needs you can look at what options are available that will fit your needs.