Name _________________ Period _______
Computer Specs that Matter
Directions: Read the article The Specs That Matter at:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/150154/the_specs_that_matter_and_the_specs_that_dont.html
and answer the questions below.
Mobile Computing
1. Times and vendor quotes about battery life tend to be ___________ by being measured under
__________ conditions.
2. On average battery life tested by PC World showed lives ranging from ______ to as long as __________
3. To get an idea of the battery life for the laptop you are interested in you should check _______________
______________________.
4. One should beware of process that run at __________________________________________________
5. If are playing recent 3D games or running high-end graphics programs basic___________ __________
are not ideal.
6. To handle 3D games one would have to choose a laptop with _______________or _________________
7. The catch with those discrete chips is that the laptop tends to be ____________ and ________________
8. With a laptop you should buy _____________ RAM as you can at the onset.
9. If you choose a laptop with 2 slots that are holding a total of 2 GBs of RAM when you go to upgrade
you will have to buy __________________________________________________________________
10. Some ads omit ______________________________________________________ from the declared
weight.
11. To judge the actual weight PC World suggest doing some reps with _____________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
12. Screen sizes tells you nothing about ______________________________________________________
13. Checking the screens ________________ and seeing it for yourself is the best way to judge.
14. Screen ________ can help you decide if it hinders viewing in daylight.
15. ___________________ provide greater brightness but they cost _______________.
Hardware and Software
Name _________________ Period _______
The Laptop PC Specs that Matter
Ultra Portable Desktop Replacement
16. Look at the Picture: The processor’s __________ matters as well as knowing its an Intel 2 Duo CPU
17. Because Vista is power hungry having a ____________ for a laptop is almost mandatory.
Your Next Desktop PC
1. For a system capable of handling most basic tasks flawlessly, you probably shouldn’t have to spend
more than _________.
2. When it comes to GHz any recent _____ can handle the basics since if you pile on power thoughtlessly
you __________________.
3. After a certain point performance gain is ______________ unless you are juggling tons of media files.
4. The catch to RAM is the _____________ your operating system can handle.
5. Unless you’re using 64-bit Vista ________ or ________ of memory is the right target.
6. Everyone who downloads digital pictures or TV craves _______________________________________
7. Unless you are a serious gamer look for a system that has _____________________________________
8. Premium/high end cards could cost a gamer close to $___________.
9. If you want to judge the expandability of your desktop note __________________________________
and _______________________________________________________________________________
10. Also if looking to expand check easy access of ___________ and __________ ports.
11. Look at the picture: is the monitor included: Y or N
12. A bigger hard drive is better but what else do they suggest: ____________________________________
Hardware and Software
Name _________________ Period _______
13. Beware of adds the do not identify the included _________ because_____________________________
The Desktop PC Specs that Matter
Basic Home System Multimedia System
Digital Photography
1. _________ megapixels is enough to create sharp 11 x 14 prints.
2. Unless you are planning to print ________________ a __________ megapixel camera is overkill.
3. Ignore __________________ specs and focus on _____________ zoom.
4. Digital zoom crops ____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Optical zoom uses lenses to _____________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
6. The more optical zoom you have the more you are going to need _______________________________
7. Most point and shoot cameras have optical zoom ____________________________________________
8. Another option they suggest is _____________________________ which most DSLR’s have.
9. If you are a casual photographer they suggest getting _________________________ point and shoot
with _____________ optical zoom and a host of ____________________________________________
10. If you plan on capturing fast-moving action look for a camera that has __________________________
11. Big displays on the back of the camera is also a _____________________________________________
12. To reduce the drain ask if _______________________________________________________________
13. For stabilization they suggest ____________________________________________________________
14. They suggest buying a _______________ either way for stabilization.’
Hardware and Software
Name _________________ Period _______
15. According to the picture you should ask the following questions about the display:
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
The Camera Specs that Matter
Point and Shoot Digital SLR
Networking Equipment:
1. When setting up a home network you need to consider the __________ of you house.
2. According to PC World the network speed you are likely to get is ______.
3. They warn you to beware of vendors promising __________________________________________
4. Using a WEP _______________ _______________ _____________ password is effective Y or N
5. To increase data transmission they suggest having _____________ antennas.
6. According to PC World the most reliable and secure high speed broadband option is _____________
The Network Specs that Matter
Wireless Routers
Hardware and Software