Windows Vista desktop computers

PC Checker says...

The Acer Aspire Revo computer is a basic computer and scores 24.1 % overall. This might seem quite a low PC Checker Score but that doesn’t mean it's not perfect for your usage requirements! Remember that computers nearer the 100% rating are super machines costing £1000s aimed more at serious gamers or professional users.

The Acer Aspire Revo has 2 GB of memory and is ideal for those people wanting to have the absolute best system performance. You should not need to update this computer's memory for many, many years if at all over this computer's lifetime!

The Acer Aspire Revo has a Shared (integrated) Graphics card which is fine for basic computing needs but you might struggle to play advanced games and edit large or high framerate videos.

Operating System (OS)

The operating system runs the computer and allows you to access the information stored on the computer. Most operating systems come in different versions based on different usage requirements.

Today there are 2 main choices for users: either a Microsoft Windows based OS or an Apple based MAC OS. Windows Vista is Microsoft's latest Windows release and Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard is Apple's current release.

There is also a FREE (Open Source) operating System called Linux which comes in many different versions (distributions) but this is quite different to Windows based operating systems so might take some gettng used to!

Operating systems are majorly updated from time to time (like XP to Vista) but can be easily updated by you, if required, at a later date.

Processor

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or otherwise known as the processor is the 'brain' of the computer. Modern day computers can now have more than one CPU unit on the processor chip - 2 CPU computers are called dual core machines and 4 CPUs on the chip are called quad core machines.

The old method of rating a CPU used to be the greater the GHz, the quicker the computer would run but with multiple core processors (see above) this is now not necessarily the case. PC Checker scores reflect whether the processor speed is on a dual core chip or more!

The more cache a processor has the better as this is used to reduce the number of times the CPU has to access the computer's memory.

Other Components

The more memory (Random Access Memory) the computer has the more applications / programs you can run at once and is measured in gigabytes (GB). 1 GB (1024 MB) is considered standard today and 2GB is ideal for Windows Vista based computers as this OS uses more memory to run.

Graphics cards display the computer's information on your screen / monitor. A shared graphics card is one that is built into the computer and uses part of your computer's memory to display things better. Separate standalone graphics cards (which have their own memory / RAM built in) are considered better than shared graphics cards but this isn't an issue unless you are wanting an entertainment or ultimate PC.

The larger the size of the Hard Disk the more information you can save on it so the larger the better. PC Checker scores reflect whether the Hard Disk is in a laptop (lower capacities & more expensive) or a desktop machine!

PC Checker says...

The Advent PTG 9003 computer is a entertainment computer and scores 41.2 % overall. This might seem quite a low PC Checker Score but that doesn’t mean it's not perfect for your usage requirements! Remember that computers nearer the 100% rating are super machines costing £1000s aimed more at serious gamers or professional users.

The Advent PTG 9003 has 2 GB of memory and is ideal for those people wanting to have the absolute best system performance. You should not need to update this computer's memory for many, many years if at all over this computer's lifetime!

The Advent PTG 9003 also has a Geforce G210 Dedicated Graphics card which means you will be able to play games and carry out photo and video editing easily.

Operating System (OS)

The operating system runs the computer and allows you to access the information stored on the computer. Most operating systems come in different versions based on different usage requirements.

Today there are 2 main choices for users: either a Microsoft Windows based OS or an Apple based MAC OS. Windows Vista is Microsoft's latest Windows release and Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard is Apple's current release.

There is also a FREE (Open Source) operating System called Linux which comes in many different versions (distributions) but this is quite different to Windows based operating systems so might take some gettng used to!

Operating systems are majorly updated from time to time (like XP to Vista) but can be easily updated by you, if required, at a later date.

Processor

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or otherwise known as the processor is the 'brain' of the computer. Modern day computers can now have more than one CPU unit on the processor chip - 2 CPU computers are called dual core machines and 4 CPUs on the chip are called quad core machines.

The old method of rating a CPU used to be the greater the GHz, the quicker the computer would run but with multiple core processors (see above) this is now not necessarily the case. PC Checker scores reflect whether the processor speed is on a dual core chip or more!

The more cache a processor has the better as this is used to reduce the number of times the CPU has to access the computer's memory.

Other Components

The more memory (Random Access Memory) the computer has the more applications / programs you can run at once and is measured in gigabytes (GB). 1 GB (1024 MB) is considered standard today and 2GB is ideal for Windows Vista based computers as this OS uses more memory to run.

Graphics cards display the computer's information on your screen / monitor. A shared graphics card is one that is built into the computer and uses part of your computer's memory to display things better. Separate standalone graphics cards (which have their own memory / RAM built in) are considered better than shared graphics cards but this isn't an issue unless you are wanting an entertainment or ultimate PC.

The larger the size of the Hard Disk the more information you can save on it so the larger the better. PC Checker scores reflect whether the Hard Disk is in a laptop (lower capacities & more expensive) or a desktop machine!

PC Checker says...

The Advent SQ 9204 computer is a basic computer and scores 41.4 % overall. This might seem quite a low PC Checker Score but that doesn’t mean it's not perfect for your usage requirements! Remember that computers nearer the 100% rating are super machines costing £1000s aimed more at serious gamers or professional users.

The Advent SQ 9204 has 4 GB of memory and is ideal for those people wanting to have the absolute best system performance. You should not need to update this computer's memory for many, many years if at all over this computer's lifetime!

The Advent SQ 9204 has a Shared (integrated) Graphics card which is fine for basic computing needs but you might struggle to play advanced games and edit large or high framerate videos.

Operating System (OS)

The operating system runs the computer and allows you to access the information stored on the computer. Most operating systems come in different versions based on different usage requirements.

Today there are 2 main choices for users: either a Microsoft Windows based OS or an Apple based MAC OS. Windows Vista is Microsoft's latest Windows release and Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard is Apple's current release.

There is also a FREE (Open Source) operating System called Linux which comes in many different versions (distributions) but this is quite different to Windows based operating systems so might take some gettng used to!

Operating systems are majorly updated from time to time (like XP to Vista) but can be easily updated by you, if required, at a later date.

Processor

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or otherwise known as the processor is the 'brain' of the computer. Modern day computers can now have more than one CPU unit on the processor chip - 2 CPU computers are called dual core machines and 4 CPUs on the chip are called quad core machines.

The old method of rating a CPU used to be the greater the GHz, the quicker the computer would run but with multiple core processors (see above) this is now not necessarily the case. PC Checker scores reflect whether the processor speed is on a dual core chip or more!

The more cache a processor has the better as this is used to reduce the number of times the CPU has to access the computer's memory.

Other Components

The more memory (Random Access Memory) the computer has the more applications / programs you can run at once and is measured in gigabytes (GB). 1 GB (1024 MB) is considered standard today and 2GB is ideal for Windows Vista based computers as this OS uses more memory to run.

Graphics cards display the computer's information on your screen / monitor. A shared graphics card is one that is built into the computer and uses part of your computer's memory to display things better. Separate standalone graphics cards (which have their own memory / RAM built in) are considered better than shared graphics cards but this isn't an issue unless you are wanting an entertainment or ultimate PC.

The larger the size of the Hard Disk the more information you can save on it so the larger the better. PC Checker scores reflect whether the Hard Disk is in a laptop (lower capacities & more expensive) or a desktop machine!

PC Checker says...

The Acer Aspire X1300 computer is a basic computer and scores 40.4 % overall. This might seem quite a low PC Checker Score but that doesn’t mean it's not perfect for your usage requirements! Remember that computers nearer the 100% rating are super machines costing £1000s aimed more at serious gamers or professional users.

The Acer Aspire X1300 has 4 GB of memory and is ideal for those people wanting to have the absolute best system performance. You should not need to update this computer's memory for many, many years if at all over this computer's lifetime!

The Acer Aspire X1300 has a Shared (integrated) Graphics card which is fine for basic computing needs but you might struggle to play advanced games and edit large or high framerate videos.

Operating System (OS)

The operating system runs the computer and allows you to access the information stored on the computer. Most operating systems come in different versions based on different usage requirements.

Today there are 2 main choices for users: either a Microsoft Windows based OS or an Apple based MAC OS. Windows Vista is Microsoft's latest Windows release and Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard is Apple's current release.

There is also a FREE (Open Source) operating System called Linux which comes in many different versions (distributions) but this is quite different to Windows based operating systems so might take some gettng used to!

Operating systems are majorly updated from time to time (like XP to Vista) but can be easily updated by you, if required, at a later date.

Processor

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or otherwise known as the processor is the 'brain' of the computer. Modern day computers can now have more than one CPU unit on the processor chip - 2 CPU computers are called dual core machines and 4 CPUs on the chip are called quad core machines.

The old method of rating a CPU used to be the greater the GHz, the quicker the computer would run but with multiple core processors (see above) this is now not necessarily the case. PC Checker scores reflect whether the processor speed is on a dual core chip or more!

The more cache a processor has the better as this is used to reduce the number of times the CPU has to access the computer's memory.

Other Components

The more memory (Random Access Memory) the computer has the more applications / programs you can run at once and is measured in gigabytes (GB). 1 GB (1024 MB) is considered standard today and 2GB is ideal for Windows Vista based computers as this OS uses more memory to run.

Graphics cards display the computer's information on your screen / monitor. A shared graphics card is one that is built into the computer and uses part of your computer's memory to display things better. Separate standalone graphics cards (which have their own memory / RAM built in) are considered better than shared graphics cards but this isn't an issue unless you are wanting an entertainment or ultimate PC.

The larger the size of the Hard Disk the more information you can save on it so the larger the better. PC Checker scores reflect whether the Hard Disk is in a laptop (lower capacities & more expensive) or a desktop machine!

PC Checker says...

The Compaq DX2400 computer is a basic computer and scores 39.4 % overall. This might seem quite a low PC Checker Score but that doesn’t mean it's not perfect for your usage requirements! Remember that computers nearer the 100% rating are super machines costing £1000s aimed more at serious gamers or professional users.

The Compaq DX2400 has 4 GB of memory and is ideal for those people wanting to have the absolute best system performance. You should not need to update this computer's memory for many, many years if at all over this computer's lifetime!

The Compaq DX2400 has a Shared (integrated) Graphics card which is fine for basic computing needs but you might struggle to play advanced games and edit large or high framerate videos.

Operating System (OS)

The operating system runs the computer and allows you to access the information stored on the computer. Most operating systems come in different versions based on different usage requirements.

Today there are 2 main choices for users: either a Microsoft Windows based OS or an Apple based MAC OS. Windows Vista is Microsoft's latest Windows release and Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard is Apple's current release.

There is also a FREE (Open Source) operating System called Linux which comes in many different versions (distributions) but this is quite different to Windows based operating systems so might take some gettng used to!

Operating systems are majorly updated from time to time (like XP to Vista) but can be easily updated by you, if required, at a later date.

Processor

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or otherwise known as the processor is the 'brain' of the computer. Modern day computers can now have more than one CPU unit on the processor chip - 2 CPU computers are called dual core machines and 4 CPUs on the chip are called quad core machines.

The old method of rating a CPU used to be the greater the GHz, the quicker the computer would run but with multiple core processors (see above) this is now not necessarily the case. PC Checker scores reflect whether the processor speed is on a dual core chip or more!

The more cache a processor has the better as this is used to reduce the number of times the CPU has to access the computer's memory.

Other Components

The more memory (Random Access Memory) the computer has the more applications / programs you can run at once and is measured in gigabytes (GB). 1 GB (1024 MB) is considered standard today and 2GB is ideal for Windows Vista based computers as this OS uses more memory to run.

Graphics cards display the computer's information on your screen / monitor. A shared graphics card is one that is built into the computer and uses part of your computer's memory to display things better. Separate standalone graphics cards (which have their own memory / RAM built in) are considered better than shared graphics cards but this isn't an issue unless you are wanting an entertainment or ultimate PC.

The larger the size of the Hard Disk the more information you can save on it so the larger the better. PC Checker scores reflect whether the Hard Disk is in a laptop (lower capacities & more expensive) or a desktop machine!

PC Checker says...

The Acer Aspire M7300 computer is a ultimate computer and scores 64.2 % overall.

The Acer Aspire M7300 has 6 GB of memory and is ideal for those people wanting to have the absolute best system performance. You should not need to update this computer's memory for many, many years if at all over this computer's lifetime!

The Acer Aspire M7300 also has an ultimate level HD 4850 Dedicated Graphics card which means you will be able to play the latest games at the very highest settings and frame rates as well as tackling the hardest, most complex photo and video editing tasks easily.

Operating System (OS)

The operating system runs the computer and allows you to access the information stored on the computer. Most operating systems come in different versions based on different usage requirements.

Today there are 2 main choices for users: either a Microsoft Windows based OS or an Apple based MAC OS. Windows Vista is Microsoft's latest Windows release and Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard is Apple's current release.

There is also a FREE (Open Source) operating System called Linux which comes in many different versions (distributions) but this is quite different to Windows based operating systems so might take some gettng used to!

Operating systems are majorly updated from time to time (like XP to Vista) but can be easily updated by you, if required, at a later date.

Processor

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or otherwise known as the processor is the 'brain' of the computer. Modern day computers can now have more than one CPU unit on the processor chip - 2 CPU computers are called dual core machines and 4 CPUs on the chip are called quad core machines.

The old method of rating a CPU used to be the greater the GHz, the quicker the computer would run but with multiple core processors (see above) this is now not necessarily the case. PC Checker scores reflect whether the processor speed is on a dual core chip or more!

The more cache a processor has the better as this is used to reduce the number of times the CPU has to access the computer's memory.

Other Components

The more memory (Random Access Memory) the computer has the more applications / programs you can run at once and is measured in gigabytes (GB). 1 GB (1024 MB) is considered standard today and 2GB is ideal for Windows Vista based computers as this OS uses more memory to run.

Graphics cards display the computer's information on your screen / monitor. A shared graphics card is one that is built into the computer and uses part of your computer's memory to display things better. Separate standalone graphics cards (which have their own memory / RAM built in) are considered better than shared graphics cards but this isn't an issue unless you are wanting an entertainment or ultimate PC.

The larger the size of the Hard Disk the more information you can save on it so the larger the better. PC Checker scores reflect whether the Hard Disk is in a laptop (lower capacities & more expensive) or a desktop machine!

PC Checker says...

The Belinea O.Max 2 computer is a ultimate computer and scores 46.4 % overall. This might seem quite a low PC Checker Score but that doesn’t mean it's not perfect for your usage requirements! Remember that computers nearer the 100% rating are super machines costing £1000s aimed more at serious gamers or professional users.

The Belinea O.Max 2 has 2 GB of memory and is ideal for those people wanting to have the absolute best system performance. You should not need to update this computer's memory for many, many years if at all over this computer's lifetime!

The Belinea O.Max 2 also has an ultimate level 8800 GT Dedicated Graphics card which means you will be able to play the latest games at the very highest settings and frame rates as well as tackling the hardest, most complex photo and video editing tasks easily.

Operating System (OS)

The operating system runs the computer and allows you to access the information stored on the computer. Most operating systems come in different versions based on different usage requirements.

Today there are 2 main choices for users: either a Microsoft Windows based OS or an Apple based MAC OS. Windows Vista is Microsoft's latest Windows release and Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard is Apple's current release.

There is also a FREE (Open Source) operating System called Linux which comes in many different versions (distributions) but this is quite different to Windows based operating systems so might take some gettng used to!

Operating systems are majorly updated from time to time (like XP to Vista) but can be easily updated by you, if required, at a later date.

Processor

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or otherwise known as the processor is the 'brain' of the computer. Modern day computers can now have more than one CPU unit on the processor chip - 2 CPU computers are called dual core machines and 4 CPUs on the chip are called quad core machines.

The old method of rating a CPU used to be the greater the GHz, the quicker the computer would run but with multiple core processors (see above) this is now not necessarily the case. PC Checker scores reflect whether the processor speed is on a dual core chip or more!

The more cache a processor has the better as this is used to reduce the number of times the CPU has to access the computer's memory.

Other Components

The more memory (Random Access Memory) the computer has the more applications / programs you can run at once and is measured in gigabytes (GB). 1 GB (1024 MB) is considered standard today and 2GB is ideal for Windows Vista based computers as this OS uses more memory to run.

Graphics cards display the computer's information on your screen / monitor. A shared graphics card is one that is built into the computer and uses part of your computer's memory to display things better. Separate standalone graphics cards (which have their own memory / RAM built in) are considered better than shared graphics cards but this isn't an issue unless you are wanting an entertainment or ultimate PC.

The larger the size of the Hard Disk the more information you can save on it so the larger the better. PC Checker scores reflect whether the Hard Disk is in a laptop (lower capacities & more expensive) or a desktop machine!

PC Checker says...

The Hewlett Packard Business DC5800 computer is a basic computer and scores 44.7 % overall. This might seem quite a low PC Checker Score but that doesn’t mean it's not perfect for your usage requirements! Remember that computers nearer the 100% rating are super machines costing £1000s aimed more at serious gamers or professional users.

The Hewlett Packard Business DC5800 has 2 GB of memory and is ideal for those people wanting to have the absolute best system performance. You should not need to update this computer's memory for many, many years if at all over this computer's lifetime!

The Hewlett Packard Business DC5800 has a Shared (integrated) Graphics card which is fine for basic computing needs but you might struggle to play advanced games and edit large or high framerate videos.

Operating System (OS)

The operating system runs the computer and allows you to access the information stored on the computer. Most operating systems come in different versions based on different usage requirements.

Today there are 2 main choices for users: either a Microsoft Windows based OS or an Apple based MAC OS. Windows Vista is Microsoft's latest Windows release and Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard is Apple's current release.

There is also a FREE (Open Source) operating System called Linux which comes in many different versions (distributions) but this is quite different to Windows based operating systems so might take some gettng used to!

Operating systems are majorly updated from time to time (like XP to Vista) but can be easily updated by you, if required, at a later date.

Processor

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or otherwise known as the processor is the 'brain' of the computer. Modern day computers can now have more than one CPU unit on the processor chip - 2 CPU computers are called dual core machines and 4 CPUs on the chip are called quad core machines.

The old method of rating a CPU used to be the greater the GHz, the quicker the computer would run but with multiple core processors (see above) this is now not necessarily the case. PC Checker scores reflect whether the processor speed is on a dual core chip or more!

The more cache a processor has the better as this is used to reduce the number of times the CPU has to access the computer's memory.

Other Components

The more memory (Random Access Memory) the computer has the more applications / programs you can run at once and is measured in gigabytes (GB). 1 GB (1024 MB) is considered standard today and 2GB is ideal for Windows Vista based computers as this OS uses more memory to run.

Graphics cards display the computer's information on your screen / monitor. A shared graphics card is one that is built into the computer and uses part of your computer's memory to display things better. Separate standalone graphics cards (which have their own memory / RAM built in) are considered better than shared graphics cards but this isn't an issue unless you are wanting an entertainment or ultimate PC.

The larger the size of the Hard Disk the more information you can save on it so the larger the better. PC Checker scores reflect whether the Hard Disk is in a laptop (lower capacities & more expensive) or a desktop machine!

PC Checker says...

The Acer Aspire M7300 computer is a ultimate computer and scores 64.2 % overall.

The Acer Aspire M7300 has 6 GB of memory and is ideal for those people wanting to have the absolute best system performance. You should not need to update this computer's memory for many, many years if at all over this computer's lifetime!

The Acer Aspire M7300 also has an ultimate level HD 4850 Dedicated Graphics card which means you will be able to play the latest games at the very highest settings and frame rates as well as tackling the hardest, most complex photo and video editing tasks easily.

Operating System (OS)

The operating system runs the computer and allows you to access the information stored on the computer. Most operating systems come in different versions based on different usage requirements.

Today there are 2 main choices for users: either a Microsoft Windows based OS or an Apple based MAC OS. Windows Vista is Microsoft's latest Windows release and Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard is Apple's current release.

There is also a FREE (Open Source) operating System called Linux which comes in many different versions (distributions) but this is quite different to Windows based operating systems so might take some gettng used to!

Operating systems are majorly updated from time to time (like XP to Vista) but can be easily updated by you, if required, at a later date.

Processor

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or otherwise known as the processor is the 'brain' of the computer. Modern day computers can now have more than one CPU unit on the processor chip - 2 CPU computers are called dual core machines and 4 CPUs on the chip are called quad core machines.

The old method of rating a CPU used to be the greater the GHz, the quicker the computer would run but with multiple core processors (see above) this is now not necessarily the case. PC Checker scores reflect whether the processor speed is on a dual core chip or more!

The more cache a processor has the better as this is used to reduce the number of times the CPU has to access the computer's memory.

Other Components

The more memory (Random Access Memory) the computer has the more applications / programs you can run at once and is measured in gigabytes (GB). 1 GB (1024 MB) is considered standard today and 2GB is ideal for Windows Vista based computers as this OS uses more memory to run.

Graphics cards display the computer's information on your screen / monitor. A shared graphics card is one that is built into the computer and uses part of your computer's memory to display things better. Separate standalone graphics cards (which have their own memory / RAM built in) are considered better than shared graphics cards but this isn't an issue unless you are wanting an entertainment or ultimate PC.

The larger the size of the Hard Disk the more information you can save on it so the larger the better. PC Checker scores reflect whether the Hard Disk is in a laptop (lower capacities & more expensive) or a desktop machine!

PC Checker says...

The Acer Aspire M5201 computer is a ultimate computer and scores 56.0 % overall.

The Acer Aspire M5201 has 6 GB of memory and is ideal for those people wanting to have the absolute best system performance. You should not need to update this computer's memory for many, many years if at all over this computer's lifetime!

The Acer Aspire M5201 also has a mid range Geforce GT 130 Dedicated Graphics card which means you will be able to play the latest games at good frame rates and carry out complex photo and video editing easily.

Operating System (OS)

The operating system runs the computer and allows you to access the information stored on the computer. Most operating systems come in different versions based on different usage requirements.

Today there are 2 main choices for users: either a Microsoft Windows based OS or an Apple based MAC OS. Windows Vista is Microsoft's latest Windows release and Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard is Apple's current release.

There is also a FREE (Open Source) operating System called Linux which comes in many different versions (distributions) but this is quite different to Windows based operating systems so might take some gettng used to!

Operating systems are majorly updated from time to time (like XP to Vista) but can be easily updated by you, if required, at a later date.

Processor

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or otherwise known as the processor is the 'brain' of the computer. Modern day computers can now have more than one CPU unit on the processor chip - 2 CPU computers are called dual core machines and 4 CPUs on the chip are called quad core machines.

The old method of rating a CPU used to be the greater the GHz, the quicker the computer would run but with multiple core processors (see above) this is now not necessarily the case. PC Checker scores reflect whether the processor speed is on a dual core chip or more!

The more cache a processor has the better as this is used to reduce the number of times the CPU has to access the computer's memory.

Other Components

The more memory (Random Access Memory) the computer has the more applications / programs you can run at once and is measured in gigabytes (GB). 1 GB (1024 MB) is considered standard today and 2GB is ideal for Windows Vista based computers as this OS uses more memory to run.

Graphics cards display the computer's information on your screen / monitor. A shared graphics card is one that is built into the computer and uses part of your computer's memory to display things better. Separate standalone graphics cards (which have their own memory / RAM built in) are considered better than shared graphics cards but this isn't an issue unless you are wanting an entertainment or ultimate PC.

The larger the size of the Hard Disk the more information you can save on it so the larger the better. PC Checker scores reflect whether the Hard Disk is in a laptop (lower capacities & more expensive) or a desktop machine!

PC Checker says...

The Acer Aspire G7700 Predator computer is a ultimate computer and scores 66.8 % overall.

The Acer Aspire G7700 Predator has 4 GB of memory and is ideal for those people wanting to have the absolute best system performance. You should not need to update this computer's memory for many, many years if at all over this computer's lifetime!

The Acer Aspire G7700 Predator also has a mid range 9600 GT Dedicated Graphics card which means you will be able to play the latest games at good frame rates and carry out complex photo and video editing easily.

Operating System (OS)

The operating system runs the computer and allows you to access the information stored on the computer. Most operating systems come in different versions based on different usage requirements.

Today there are 2 main choices for users: either a Microsoft Windows based OS or an Apple based MAC OS. Windows Vista is Microsoft's latest Windows release and Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard is Apple's current release.

There is also a FREE (Open Source) operating System called Linux which comes in many different versions (distributions) but this is quite different to Windows based operating systems so might take some gettng used to!

Operating systems are majorly updated from time to time (like XP to Vista) but can be easily updated by you, if required, at a later date.

Processor

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or otherwise known as the processor is the 'brain' of the computer. Modern day computers can now have more than one CPU unit on the processor chip - 2 CPU computers are called dual core machines and 4 CPUs on the chip are called quad core machines.

The old method of rating a CPU used to be the greater the GHz, the quicker the computer would run but with multiple core processors (see above) this is now not necessarily the case. PC Checker scores reflect whether the processor speed is on a dual core chip or more!

The more cache a processor has the better as this is used to reduce the number of times the CPU has to access the computer's memory.

Other Components

The more memory (Random Access Memory) the computer has the more applications / programs you can run at once and is measured in gigabytes (GB). 1 GB (1024 MB) is considered standard today and 2GB is ideal for Windows Vista based computers as this OS uses more memory to run.

Graphics cards display the computer's information on your screen / monitor. A shared graphics card is one that is built into the computer and uses part of your computer's memory to display things better. Separate standalone graphics cards (which have their own memory / RAM built in) are considered better than shared graphics cards but this isn't an issue unless you are wanting an entertainment or ultimate PC.

The larger the size of the Hard Disk the more information you can save on it so the larger the better. PC Checker scores reflect whether the Hard Disk is in a laptop (lower capacities & more expensive) or a desktop machine!