Computer Systems

Computer systems are made up of various components and software that are required to make the computer function. Computer systems typically consist of a CPU (processor), RAM, Hard Drive, Graphics Card and Operating System.

Organisations have varying needs and requirements so understanding the components that make up computer systems and how they work together can help you to customise and recommend a computer system to suit a specific organisation or situation.

For example, a media production company will require more expensive, powerful components than an estate agent office. They may also require different operating systems. Media companies typically use Apple’s Mac OS but most other businesses use Windows. An operating system’s job is to interact between software and hardware components in order to ensure the machine is functional and in this section we’ll explain the pros and cons of various operating systems.

Other software commonly found on computer systems to help manage a system include third party anti virus and anti malware software which both help to defend a system against malicious programs from executing on the system. Some operating systems include these type of utilities by default and some system manufacturers install them on to systems prior to being shipped to customers.

System manufacturers include Apple, Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo and Samsung among others. All of them produce a vast range of various models designed for different user needs. In this section we’ll help you to understand how to determine those user needs so you can make more informed decisions when recommending, buying or comparing computer systems.

Once you have a comprehensive understanding of computer systems you should know: