6 Things to Consider When Buying a PC

You’ve found a few PCs you like the look of but how do you decide which is the right one? Let’s break down the different parts of a PC to help make your choice.

Processor speed
Processors are the heart of your PC, deciding how fast everything gets done. New processors also do many tasks that help provide a better overall experience. 
5^th gen Intel® Core™ i3 processor
Start with this for simple email and web browsing, entertainment and games.
5^th gen Intel® Core™ i5 processor
Get productive and enjoy mainstream entertainment and games.
5^th gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor
Get hard-core tasks like 3D gaming, designing and video editing done smoothly.
5^th gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor Extreme Edition
Customize your performance for the most demanding games and apps.

RAM
More RAM makes it easier to multitask and switch between different files quickly.
2GB
This is the minimum you need to run an operating system and basic programs.
4GB
Enough RAM to multitask between apps easily and run common popular games.
8GB+
This will let you run video editing apps or extreme 3D games smoothly.

Hard disk space
Generally, it’s a smart idea to buy a larger hard disk than your current needs as files and apps are constantly growing in size.

500GB
Good for storing work files, photos with space enough for a few games.
1TB+
You’ll want this much if you’re a movie collector, play lots of games or want to edit videos.

Graphics card
There are two types of graphics cards to consider – integrated and dedicated graphics cards.      
Integrated cards
Packaged with your processor or motherboard, they use your system’s RAM for graphics processing. Less powerful but cheaper and less demanding on your battery, it’s a good choice for an Ultrabook™ or notebook.
Dedicated graphics cards
If you’re a serious gamer or professional graphic designer, opt for this. A good entry-level graphics card should have at least 1GB of RAM but more is better. If you’re intending to watch movies in HD, be sure to get one with a HDMI output port.

Software
The main factor to consider here is the Operating System (OS). This will decide what software you’re able to use.
Windows*
Windows OS is the most commonly used operating system for PCs. That means most software is designed to be compatible with it. If you want to play most of the latest games or need your PC for common office applications, this is the right choice.
Mac*
Macs are great for graphic designing, video editing and music producing. These functions are not unique to Macs but they are more commonly done on this OS. This helps avoid compatibility issues.

Extras
There are a few hardware options you may want to go with your new PC.
Printer
If you’re intending to use your PC for work, a printer may be in order. When you’re choosing, check the cost of ink replacement for the model  as that can quickly add up. Consider a dedicated photo printer if you’re an avid photographer.
Monitor
If you’re getting a notebook, a larger screen at home can make watching movies more immersive. A 22-inch screen or larger should offer HD quality viewing. Ensure the resolution is at least 1080p.
Optical Disks
Get a Blu-ray player if you’re intending to collect an extensive collection of Blu-ray discs. If not, a DVD drive will meet most needs.

 

Know Your Numbers

When shopping for a new PC, you’ll encounter many computer-related words and phrases that may be difficult to understand. This guide will help explain the jargon.

Gigahertz (Ghz)

A unit of measurement commonly used to express processor speed, also referred to as clock speed. 1 Gigahertz (GHz) = 1 billion cycles per second. A higher number used to mean a better processor, but advances in technology have made chips more efficient and added more built-in features.

Cores and threads

Cores and threads go hand-in-hand. Multi-core processors are single chips that contain two or more distinct processors or cores. Multi-threading allows each core to work on two tasks at once, letting you do more things at the same time for faster results.

RAM

The computer uses random access memory (RAM) to process what the user is doing as they are doing it. This includes multitasking, writing a letter or editing a photo. 2GB of RAM should be enough for most of your everyday needs, and you can always upgrade and add more RAM later.

Battery life and mAh

Battery life refers to the time your notebook, tablet or Ultrabook™ can run before it needs to be recharged. This can be expressed as miliampere hour (mAh). The larger the number, the longer your device can run.

MB, GB and TB

These terms are used to describe disk or storage space, standing for a megabyte (MB), a gigabyte (GB) and a terabyte (TB) respectively. A GB is 1,000 MBs and 1 TB is 1,000 GBs. To get a sense of scale, an HD movie requires at least 2 GBs and a high quality photo, about 4-5 MB.

 

VirusTotal Lets Apple Fans Play With Fire In The Malware Sandpit

Google’s VirusTotal has begun running Mac apps in Sandpit environments to test for malware and malicious activity.

The move has come not a moment too soon for many Apple users. Malware, and especially adware is at an all-time high.

A report released in October by Bit9, claimed that more malware had been discovered on Apple operating systems in 2015, than had been found in the previous five years in total.

VirusTotal, owned by Google, is an online virus scanner. It is popular with both everyday users, and industry professionals, and is free to use.

The VirusTotal website allows users to upload suspicious files and have them be scanned by 54 different antivirus products.

Big Names

Among the antivirus scanners utilized are some big industry names, including:

• Avast
• Avira
• ESET
• Panda
• McAfee

Having the ability to scan any file you deem ‘dodgy’ by 54 of the world’s leading anti-malware companies is reassuring to most users. Installing that many antivirus products on any ordinary PC or Laptop would be a recipe for disaster, and not reasonably practical.

Total Peace Of Mind?

That said, while its scan results can normally be relied upon, a clean VirusTotal scan is no guarantee of 100% safety.

It is becoming more and more common these days for malware to try and outsmart anti malware scans.

Some malware variants are now programmed with the explicit intent of detecting whether or not it is being ran in a sandbox or not.

The battle is an endless cat and mouse game between virus programmers and the anti-virus researchers. Malware programmed this way may either shut down, go silent, or launch counter measures to try to remain undetected.

New Front

VirusTotal’s latest attempt is to now physically execute (run) suspicious Mac apps submitted by individual users inside a sandbox environment, in an effort to gather information that might help improve the detection and analysis of Mac Malware.

VirustTotal in action

Wait a minute, I thought Macs didn’t get viruses?

It’s a myth. Apple devices can and do suffer from malware.

What about other platforms?

VirusTotal added the same capability for Android back in 2013, and of course, Windows based operating systems have always been covered.

VirusTotal worker, Karl Hiramoto explained in a VirusTotal blog post how the new service for Mac users worked:

“Users may scan these file types directly on www.virustotal.com, with our OS X Uploader app, or via the API.”

The Future?

Today’s current generation security services have an inherent problem. They can only keep your computer safe from threats they know about. While utilizing sandbox environments to identify malware is another step forward for users, the future may lie in the use of artificial neural networks  (ANN’s), such as Deep Instinct, that which automatically evolve to fight malware without requiring updates.