Performace Factors of PCs and Monitors

The performance of a computer depends mainly on the storage capacity of its RAM and the speed at which instructions and adta are processed.

Speed of the Microprocessor-:A microprocessor is the computer of the system unit that performs the actual processing of data. Microprocessors can manipulate 8, 16, 32 bits of data at a time. An 8-bit processor can manipulate only a single byte of data at a time. A 16-bit processor can handle 2 bytes while a 32-bit chip can process 4 bytes at atime.

In general, a 16-bit PC will be faster than an 8-bit system and a 32-bit PC will be faster than the 8 and 16-bit models. The treansfer of data between the mixcroprocessor, memory and peripgerals is done through the bus. Most current processor designs use a 32-bit bus, meaning that 32 bits of data can ce transferr4ed at a time.PCs witk a 64-bit bus also exist but are not as  common yet.

Storage Capacity of RAM-:The amount of RAM required depends on the application you run on your computer. Reasonable performance today calls for at least 128 MB. If you want to run several applications at the same time or work with large files and documents, you need to increase the amount of RAM. Increasing the capacity to 256 MB or even 512 MB can measuabley increase performance.

Clock Rate-: The fundamental rate at which a computer performs its operations called the clock rate. The faster the rate, the quicker the microprocessor processes instrucations and data. However, a clock rate faster than the maximum speed of the processor may overheat the microprocessor and lead to critical processing errors.

Performance Factors of Monitors-: Screen resolution is a key characteristic of computer monitors and refers to the number of pixels a screen can display within a given area.for higher legibility of documents on screen, you can adjust the screen resolution of your monitor. A higher number of pixels means better clearity in the display.

Another important characteristic is the vertical frequency, which indicates the number of images that can be put together per second. A higher frequency means less stress for the human eye. If you want your students to look at computer screen for45 minutes or more, use a frequency of at least 72 Hz. With lower frequencies, students might get headaches.