- Determine what you would like the computer to be used for (general office work, heavy gaming, Internet surfing, etc.). Also, determine which operating system will be installed (be specific; rather than saying “Windows 8” indicate whether it is the home premium version or the professional version and whether it is 32 bit or 64 bit. Indicate price and source of the operating system.
- Select a relatively modern CPU (something made in the past two years) made by either Intel or AMD. Make this selection based on characteristics of the CPU that you believe make it suitable for the intended use of the computer. Also, base your decision on information in the text, discussions in class, and your own individual research. Be sure to completely identify the CPU, where you would likely buy it, the price, and list the major specifications of that CPU (core speed, bus speed, amount of L1/L2/L3 cache, number of cores, etc.)
- Select a motherboard that will support your chosen CPU. You may want to find a motherboard that has onboard video but also has an expansion slot to allow for future upgrade of the graphics capability of the computer. Be sure to indicate how you determined that this motherboard is compatible with your chosen CPU. Further, consider the input/output ports and expansion slots. As with the CPU, indicate where you would buy your motherboard, its cost, and specifications.
- Select appropriate RAM for your chosen motherboard and CPU combination. Be sure that you meet or exceed the amount of memory needed for the chosen operating system and the intended use of the computer. Take into account whether the motherboard you chose supports dual-channel memory in determining whether you would buy 1 or 2 DIMMs. As with the other components, indicate where you would buy your RAM, its cost, and specifications.
- List references used. References should relate to decision making articles and texts, not just websites where you would purchase the product. All references must be in APA format.
- Be sure your paper is appropriately formatted as indicated below:
- APA formatted cover page as well as the entirety of the document.
- Paragraphs are coherently organized including the use of proper grammar and correct spelling.
- Includes clearly organized using graphics and tables (where appropriate).
- Acronyms are spelled out on first use.
