Exemplar 3

AuthorMark Pavone

Former Student of Southbank Institute

Type: Brochure

Document Title Bits, Bytes, Chips and Computers

Full / Abridged This is a full version

THHGGA04B BUSINESS WRITING 1SEMESTER 1, 2003

If you were to continually update then your computer would be up to scratch but that is not affordable or cost effective for the average person: therefore software and expansions updates are the best way to go, although eventually the computer will not satisfy your needs of speed and power and a new computer may have to be purchased depending on your demand of the product.

It is commonly known that computers outdate quickly, in fact the power of a computer doubles every 18 months, the speed is faster by 100,000 times every 25 years and the number of transistors on chips has doubled in the last 26 years: therefore when buying a computer the latest and the best technology is the way to go, but is not always affordable and depends on the situation.

If you were buying a computer today for between $1000-2000 the following would be what you would expect (Depending on brand and type) compared to a computer system in 2005.

Component Capacity in 2002

Capacity in 2005

Processor 1.2Ghz 2.2Ghz

Ram 128MB 2048MB

Hard Drive 20GB 200GB

CD-DVD Rom CD 24x 180x, DVD

Warranty 1-3 years Depends on Company

Modem 56Kbps Cable

Where to Shop when you are looking at purchasing a computer, it is best to look around for the best deal. Don’t always assume that the “Big Name” computer stores are the way to go. They usually have bigger overheads and higher prices caused from advertising and other factors. The smaller dealers can most often offer a better deal and sometimes better service.

You’re Task Once you have finished reading this brochure your task is to research a similar advert to the one below. Try to make sense of all the technical literature by referring to this manual.

Good luck and Happy Computing

Other Computer Guides in the Series

Guide to accessories

Guide to Computer Problem Solving

Guide to the Internet

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BITS, BYTES, CHIPS AND COMPUTERS

Guide to Buying a Computer

2Pavone’s Bits, Bytes, Chips & Computers 4/56 Central Avenue Indooroopilly

Ph 0407644557

Future Solutions Now

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Introduction-This guide will help you to understand the basic components and makeup of computers as well as the technical talk that some salespeople use to prey on the naive. The brochure defines and explains the CPU, motherboard, expansion cards and slots, peripheral devices, disk drives, monitors, CD ROM’s and modems.

CPU (Not R2D2’s friend) It is a Central Processing Unit that controls all internal and external devices. It was referred to in Megahertz, but now referred to in GHz i.e. 1.3GHz, 1.8GHz etc. Hertz being a measure of frequency. 1000MHz=1GHz

Motherboard Is a printed circuit board with most components being mounted on it or connected to it and the input/output circuitry is situated on it. It can also be referred to as the main board, main unit or system board.

Expansion slot Expansion slots are where some peripheral devices are connected; they are located inside of the computer case and allow for additional capabilities for the computer.

Cards (Not ace of spades) an expansion card, commonly called an adaptor, is a circuit board

that provides further potential for the computer and is inserted in the compatible expansion slot carefully.

RAM Random Access Memory is a collection of chips or cells, which holds all the information (main memory); it allows you to access any part of the stored information on the computer. It is measured in Megabytes and is usually in the form of 128Mb, 256Mb, and now more advanced 512Mb.

Peripheral devices Are devices connected to the computer externally through ports. They are Input/output devices that feed or are fed information in communication with the computer. Examples are Mouse, keyboard, monitor, scanner, and printer.

Disk Drives Hard disk, Floppy disk and CD-ROM are all examples of disk drives and are used by the computer to read or write data from these sources. Hard disk drive capacity is measured in Gigabytes i.e. 20GB or 40GB and Floppy drives are measured in MB i.e. 1.44MB

Bus is just a cluster of wires and connections between the CPU and the rest of the components. The Bus determines the speed of the computer and is measured in

Software Are the programs for computers. I.e. Games, word programs.

Hardware Are the mechanical and electronic components of a computer.

Monitors (The screen of the computer, not the reptiles) Monitors specifications are measures in inches (the overall size of the screen) and mm dot pitch which refers to the sharpness and quality of the picture. The lower the dot pitch the better the quality. i.e. 0.26 is better than 0.28.

CD ROM Compact disc drives are standard these days in computers. They are referred to in spin speed i.e. 24x. Some CD ROM’s can burn or write compact disks as well as play and write DVD’s (usually much more expensive).

Modem is a device which enables communication to a computer

through a phone line, i.e. the internet. Modems are represented by 56K bits/second which refers to the speed of the modem.

What to look for when buying a computer

Computers are continually getting faster, more powerful, increasing in storage capacity, and decreasing in size as technology expands.

To keep up with all the trends it is important to understand your requirements of a computer, how much to spend, whether you are getting good value for money and is the technology going to get outdated quickly.

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