Build Your Own Gaming Notebook

Computer Hardware Study? 1. The term ____ device designates equipment that might be added to a computer system to enhance its functionality. a. digital c. disk b. system d. peripheral 2. Most consumers select computer models that cost ____. a. US$300 or a bit less c. between US$2,000 and US$4,000 b. between US$800 and US$1,100 d. more than US$4,000 3. The price of an entry-level desktop computer starts at ____. a. US$100 c. US$575 b. US$300 d. US$800 4. The case for a vertical system unit is often referred to as a ____. a. cube c. base b. minicase d. tower 5. ____ units are the form factor of choice for computer owners who might want to upgrade components in the future because it is easy to get inside the case and swap out parts. a. Cube c. Tower b. Base d. Minicase 6. The term ____ refers to the size and dimensions of a computer component. a. form factor c. disk header b. system specification d. peripheral metric 7. A(n) ____ is a small form factor tablet computer designed to run most of the software available for larger portable computers. a. digital c. ultra-mobile PC b. mini-notebook d. microtablet 8. A ____ computer is a portable computing device featuring a touch-sensitive screen that can be used as a writing or drawing pad. a. Media Center c. desktop b. tablet d. microcomputer 9. A(n) ____ tablet configuration resembles a high-tech clipboard and lacks a built-in keyboard. a. convertible c. ultra-mobile b. slate d. portable 10. A ____ computer is also referred to as a laptop. a. desktop c. notebook b. tablet d. PDA 11. For gaming, computers quickly climb past the ____ price point. a. US$4,000 c. US$6,000 b. US$5,000 d. US$10,000 ABCD 12. In the context of computing, a(n) ____ is a custom, hand-built modification to a computer system component. a. bit c. key b. icon d. mod ABCD 13. ____ means a billion cycles per second. a. Gigahertz c. Exahertz b. Megahertz d. Nanohertz ABCD 14. The speed specifications that you see in a computer ad indicate the speed of the microprocessor ____. a. control unit c. clock b. register d. tape ABCD 15. ____ size refers to the number of bits that a microprocessor can manipulate at one time. a. Processor c. Register b. Word d. ALU ABCD 16. Some processor manufacturers use a technology called ____ to increase the speed of data moving to the processor. a. HyperTransport c. memory bus b. FSB d. HTT ABCD 17. A microprocessor with a limited set of simple instructions uses ____ technology. a. parallel c. CISC b. RISC d. benchmarked ABCD 18. If a processor can’t begin executing an instruction before it completes the previous instruction, it must be using ____. a. parallel processing c. serial processing b. pipelining d. dual core processing 19. Using a technology called ____, a processor can begin executing an instruction before it completes the previous instruction. a. serial processing c. pipelining b. multitasking d. benchmarking 20. ____ processing allows for multiple instructions to be executed simultaneously. a. Serial c. Benchmark b. Parallel d. Amalgamated 21. ____ are the results of a series of tests used to gauge overall microporcessor speed and are useful in comparing microprocessor performance. a. Benchmarks c. Clocking figures b. Hyper-Threads d. FSC reports 22. ____ is a technique for increasing the speed of a computer component. a. Benchmarking c. Serial processing b. Overclocking d. Pipelining 23. ____ is a temporary holding area for data, application program instructions, and the operating system. a. ROM c. Disk storage b. CMOS d. RAM 24. RAM can be thought of as the ____ for the computer’s processor. a. factory c. waiting room b. operating room d. planning room 25. Unlike disk storage, most RAM is ____. a. virtual c. non-volatile b. integrated d. volatile 26. If a program exceeds the allocated space in RAM, the operating system uses an area of the hard disk called ____ memory to store parts of a program or data file until they are needed. a. volatile c. virtual b. capacitor d. integrated 27. RAM speed is often expressed in ____. a. milliseconds c. megaseconds b. macroseconds d. nanoseconds 28. ____ is fast and relatively inexpensive. a. RDRAM c. DIMM b. RIMM d. SDRAM 29. ____ was first developed for the Nintendo 64 game system, and was later adapted for use in personal computers. a. SDRAM c. RIMM b. RDRAM d. SO-RIMM 30. ____ is a type of memory circuitry that holds the computer's startup routine. a. RIM (Read initial memory) c. ROM (Read only memory) b. RAM (Random access memory) d. REM (Ready ever memory) 31. The ____ holds computer configuration settings

Macbook pro compared to my current computer...? My current computer is a gateway p series notebook with a intel dual core processor at 2.26 ghz with 3mb cache, 4 gigs of ram, and an nvidia geforce 9800m gts with 1 gig of video memory. I am looking at the current mac book pro 17 inch with an i7 2.66 ghz, 8 gb of ram, and an nvidia 330 gts with 512 mb of video memory. I have searched for reviews on mac book pro benchmarks to compare to my computer but all the articles i have found feature a lesser geared 15 inch mac book or an older generation. I would like to have a general idea on how it would compare to my computer, really the only game I run is world of warcraft, but I do raid in it so I am seeing the most hardware demanding side of it. I know that a lot of people say macs just run better than PCs but it seems their hardware comes out less. unless there is something in the OS for macs that make better use of that hardware. It would seem my computer would run at least games just as good with the extra video memory.