Common Computer Myths

Understanding the world of computer is complicated sometimes. If you’re not a techie person, there are some false ideas that you might believe about computers. These are actually misconceptions regarding your PC. Due to lack of knowledge or old ideas acquired from an individual, it’s quite surprising that there are many myths about your machine.

This article examines some of the most common computer myths, and eventually may help you understand the world of computer better.

Myth 1: To increase the speed and performance of the computer, it needs to upgrade the hardware.  It’s true that upgrading the component like the memory will improve your PC, but it’s not always the case. Aside from doing this, consider other factors that cause your machine to slow down.  These are unwanted programs, unclean registry and other stuffs inside your computer.  So, try first to remove temporary internet files, uninstall unnecessary programs, clean the system registry and defrag your hard drive before spending money for new peripherals.

Myth 2: A faster PC will boost up the Internet. Probably this is true when comparing a 4-year old computer hardware to a recent one. But in most cases, computer is not actually the main problem for poor Internet speed. It really depends on your Internet connection speed. Using a dial-up connection is really slower than having a DSL Internet service.

Myth 3: The constant reason for computer performance failure is a virus. This misconception can be observed on novice PC users. This myth originated from “joke” emails stating that your data from your hard drive will be deleted. And this prank messages have been around since the evolution of Internet. Today, email services on the Internet have virus scanner that checks the file before it can be downloaded. It is also recommended that you get a reliable anti-virus software to protect your machine and also know if a malicious program is the main cause of the problem.

Myth 4: Getting the most expensive, fastest CPU is the best. Yes, getting a faster processor is better. But actually, it really depends on your needs. In reality, it’s usually not cost-effective to get the most costly CPU because having a powerful computer doesn’t only rely on the processor. There are other factors that you need to consider and balance such as type of memory, motherboard and video card.

Myth 5: Installing a good video card is necessary when planning to watch DVD movies or edit photos. Some users are buying expensive video card because they think they need them for their everyday computing activities such as DVD watching and photo editing.  But practically speaking, you don’t need it especially if you are just using your PC for common tasks. And if you do gaming, video creation, animation and 3D rendering, buying a graphic card really makes sense.

Myth 6: Don’t leave the computer running. The debate whether it is bad to leave the PC on or not is not a big issue nowadays. Modern computers have power management and energy-saving features that allow you to configure the system to “go to sleep” or “hibernate” mode. Apart from that, a desktop computer comes with exhaust fans so it won’t overheat easily.