makerere

1. MAKERERE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES
NAME REGISTRATION NUMBER
NJUNAKI PHEOBI 19/U/17680/EVE
KAGOYA ANNITA 19/U/16489/EVE
MUBIRU KEVIN GARREN 19/U/16895/EVE
NAKANWAGI BRIDGET 19/U/17165/EVE
ZAWEDDE HELLEN DIANA 19/U/18067/EVE
COURSE UNIT :COMPUTER SKILLS FOR
ECONOMISTS
COURSE CODE : ECO 1204
LECTURER’S NAME : Dr. ADREW GAHWERA
TUMUSIME

2. Assumptions underlying when buying computer hardware. What are the network card
buying tips and help?
When one is purchasing a network card. be careful with available connector that the card
allows. Not every available connector though many networks use RJ-45. if your network
utilizes a different interface such as coax, verify the card you are planning to purchase has
a connector.
Connection speed. speed is an important consideration when looking at purchasing a
network card. The majority of networks and card are found in 10 Base or 100 Base being
the faster of the two solutions while slightly more expensive. It is recommended that all
users looking for a new network card purchase that with 100 Base as its needed.
Card interface. The card that connects to is also an important consideration. Below is a
listing of the three available interfaces.
i. PCI, recommended solution for desktop and it is faster solution when
compared to ISA
ii. ISA, solution found with 10 Base network and they are cheap but more
slower.
iii. PCMCIA, solution used with laptop computers, these cards are only solution
to laptop computers.
Network cable.
iv. A network cable, this is not included unless you purchase it
v. Network kit, it is important to also verify if the network card includes a
network cable and kit if it does not include a cable, look for another one that
includes a cable for your network card.
Network hub, are standalone hardware that allow for several computers to be connected
to a large or small network of computers. Network hubs are only required if you plan on
setting up a network of two or more computers. See if the amount of ports on the hub are
sufficient for your needs, verify that the hub has LED (lights).
Other. However, there are other considerations when buying a network card which
include:

3. i. Warranty, how long is the warranty and what does it cover.
ii. Support, is the technical support number a free number, is it open 24 hours, 7
days a week.
iii. Price range, network equipment prices can be very broad in prices because of
quality or features that particular device may include.
Printer buying help and tips. Include the following since there are several models on the
market.
Budget, the cost of printers varies widely, you should not spend more money than you
can afford on your new device, however, the issue of budgeting for a printer runs deeply
than its upfront cost, you also need to consider the ongoing price of replacement ink. It’s
common for the cheapest printers to have some of the most expensive ink.
Type of ink, there are three common ink cartridge configurations.
i. Two ink cartridges, a black cartridge and an all-in-one colour cartridge.
ii. Four ink cartridges, a black cartridge.
iii. Ink wells, instead of using a cartridge, the printer draws its ink from
large refillable wells. of the three, ink wells are comfortably the most
economical in the long run.
Print quality, although laser printers offer the best quality, they are also expensive to buy
and have higher running costs. If you a home user, an inkjet should suffice but the quality
of print out varies significantly among inkjet printers.
Print speed, we have all sat impatiently while a printer creates a document at a snail’s
pace. It’s frustrating, if you do a lot of printing, especially printing of documents with
dozens of pages, print speed will be an important factor in your purchase decision. Printer
speed is measured in pages per minute(PPM).
Wireless connectivity, another major thing you should consider looking at when buying a
new printer is its connectivity. To establish which connectors you need, ask yourself to
questions, where are you going to print from? And which devices are you going to print
from? All printers on the market offer wired connectivity. They can connect to your
computer via USB port. However, some models also offer Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
connectivity.

4. Additional feature, printers do more than just print, All-in-one devices can also copy, scan
and even send faxes (yes some people do still use them!). you can expect to pay a bit
more for an all-in-one printer, but many people, the extra capabilities are worth the
addition expense.
Paper format, not all printers can accept legal-sized paper, similarly, the scanner beds on
many all-in-one printers are for small legal documents.
Compact portable on desktop, printers come in many different shapes and sizes. If you are
looking for a printer that fits in a small area, there are new many compact versions
available, some you might have to sacrifice the scanner and copier functionality but it’s a
good option for occasional users.
What are processor (CPU) buying tips?
When purchasing a processor, it is important to consider when building or buying your
own computer the following:
Type, the processor type can be an important consideration for users who are
building a computer. Today, there are three main processors manufacture that is to
say AMD, Cyrix and Intel each have good and bad reviews and really each of them
are very close in compatibility and reliability. When buying verify the motherboard is
compatible.
Heat sink, it is highly recommended that all processors have a heat sink. The heat
sink helps to allow for the processors to remain cool and therefore run more
efficiently. A processor with bad or failing heat sink can cause the computer to lock
up.
Interface, there is a wide availability of interfaces the CPU may connect to, below is
a listing of each interface:
i. Slot A, it was the first used and introduced by intel when they released the
Pentium II processor socket, which is the slot card, can be used to connect
a socket or FPGA processor.
Names, the processor name can be very confusing and are used as a method of
helping to sell a computer processor. The Intel family names, Pentium, Pentium Pro,
Pentium MMX.

5. Speed, the processor speed is an important consideration as it is what will rate the
speed of computer and help the computer run faster overall.
Effects, upgrading the computer processor may have the below effects on a
computer:
ii. Allow for programs that may require steeper processor requirements to be
run.
iii. Help the computer or computer programs speed in loading and opening
time. Note in many cases, this may not be noticed.
What are computer printer buying tips and help?
Technology, the first and foremost important to consider when buying a printer is
technology the printer utilizes to print. Inkjet and laser printers are the most popular
printer technologies.
i. Inkjets are more affordable and effective solution for home uses.
ii. Laser are recommended for businesses.
Resolution, a printer is measured by amount of dots per inch (DPI) a printer is capable of
printing. When looking at purchasing a printer, it is important to look at the DPI the
printer is capable of printing.it is also important to know that some printer manufacturers
may generate their own methods through software.
Speed, is another important consideration when looking at computer printers. The speed
of computer printer is rated at PPM or pages per minute and rates anywhere between 4 to
10 PPM depending on several factors.
INK AND TONER, ink or toner is an important factor when purchasing a printer. Look at
the characteristics of ink and toner such as price, availability, type.
Cost per page, the measurement of ongoing price of the printer after its initial purchase. It
is important to look at the cost per page and see how much you may be paying for the
amount of printing you expect to do. You can expect to pay less for a laser printer than an
inkjet printer when looking at cost per page.
Paper handling, the method of how the printer handles and distributes the paper can be an
important consideration when looking at printers.

6. Computer sound card buying tips and help include the following:
Interface, ensure that you have the available connection on the computer. sound cards
are available as both PCI and ISA, though today most cards are PCI. If you plan on
using your sound card, use PCI.
Available connections, after determining available connections on the sound card, it is
important to look at the available connections on the card. When purchasing a sound
card, it is important that it has the available connections on the card for example
speakers, midi port, game port, microphone connection.
Full duplex, today included with most sound cards, full duplex allows for sound cards
playing and recording sound at the same time. This feature is most commonly used to
do voice communication over the internet or speaker phone.
3-D acceleration, 3-D acceleration is used and found in computer games. Bellows is a
listing of the three 3-D acceleration found today such as Direct sound 3d Microsoft’s
software API, EAX, creative labs Environment Audio Extension that creates very
realistic and believable sound effects based in the environment of a game, A3D is a
software API developed for additional 3D acceleration without using Microsoft’s API
code.