The role of your CPU, hard disk, and memory

Just like with other computers your Mac’s CPU(Central Processing Unit) processes information; your computer hard disk stores data and applications; and your Mac’s memory holds and runs the applications and data that you have open. Depending on your Mac, you might have one or two processors. Having a second processor allows you to perform two processor intensive tasks at the same time, such as render a video clip in iMovie and listen to a song in iTunes, without impacting performance.

Get to know the type of optical drive you have

There are several types of optical drives that come with a Mac. Some older Macs have CD-ROM drives that can only read CDs. More recent Macs have either a ComboDrive or a SuperDrive. A ComboDrive can read and write CDs and read DVDs, while a SuperDrive can read and write both CDs and DVDs. The System Profiler application click on the ATA item in the Contents list to look to find out what kind of optical drive you have if you’re not sure.

Using external devices with your Mac

Most Macs come with built-in FireWire and USB ports so that you can connect a variety of peripherals from printers to scanners and digital cameras and even external hard disks. In most cases you can use the same devices on your Mac as you do on a FireWire or USB equipped PC.

What is FireWire?

FireWire is also known as IEEE 1394, i.link and Lynx. There are two different versions of FireWire, FireWire 400 and 800, supporting throughput of 400 Mbps and 800 Mbps respectively. Unlike USB, FireWire 400 and 800 use different connectors to connect devices to your computer. A single FireWire port can be used to connect up 63 external devices. FireWire also supports both Plug-and-Play and hot plugging, and also provides power to peripheral devices.

Know which graphics card your Mac uses

The type of graphics card that you have in your Mac will determine the size of display you can use with it. Most graphics cards built in to a Mac will allow you to view a screen size of 1024 x 768 or larger with millions of colors, as well as use multiple displays to extend your desktop. To find out why type of card you have, open the System Profiler, and then select PCI/AGP Cards from the Contents list.

What is Open Firmware?

Firmware is a combination of software and hardware, which controls a computer from the time that it is turned on, until the primary operating system begins. Computer chips that have data or programs recorded on them are firmware. These chips commonly include ROMs (read-only memory), PROMs (programmable read-only memory), and EPROMs (erasable programmable read-only memory). Open Firmware is non-proprietary boot firmware that can be used on different processors and buses.

What is parameter RAM (PRAM)?

PRAM stores certain system and device settings in a location that Mac OS X can access quickly. Exactly which settings are stored in the computer’s PRAM varies depending on the type of computer as well as the types of devices and drives connected to the computer. Some information stored in PRAM includes: Time zone settings, Startup volume choice, and Speaker volume. If PRAM is reset, you may need to verify your time zone, startup volume, and volume settings using System Preferences. Certain firmware updates may reset PRAM as a normal part of their installation process.