Technology advances at an ever increasing pace but quite often purchasing the latest and greatest or the biggest and fastest can be a total waste of money.

Technology geeks (I can say that because I am one myself) go out and buy the latest gadgets at the highest prices because they all have some new fangled function or a re sporting the latest colors or designs when they haven't really used all the functionality of the one they already own.

When it comes to the family Pc however I think the technology giants like Intel, Amd, Hp and Dell for example are all missing the point when it comes to your average consumer.

A majority of computer users do not play games on their computers (they probably have a play station or a Wii), nor do they use massively processor hungry applications like computer aided design packages or finite element (fea) calculation packages.

Computer vendors would have us believe that we all need multi processor cores so we can multi task and have a finite number of applications running it the same time when in all fairness most users will never have more than three or four applications open at any on time.

And if the processor manufacturers were entirely, open they would also tell you that there are still today very few programs that can even take advantage of the multithreaded capability of today's breed of processors.

The truth of the matter is that Pc technology and power is far outreaching the users real needs, lets face it, you probably have more raw processing capability sat in the average home than they had to send man into space in the early days!

One fact that is undeniable though is that when you go and buy your next Pc with all its raw computing power you will probably still need to by something extra to make it work efficiently within a short space of time.

A well rounded and efficient computer or laptop isn't just about the processor speed, granted that does help but only up to a point. A good analogy would be why buy a sports car that is capable of over a hundred and fifty miles and hour when the most you will ever do is 90?

Equally , with your average car a good all round performer will be the sum of all its components , tires, suspension etc. not just the power of the engine. But what good is a 150 mph engine if the tires are only rated for 70mph.

The same applies to your average Pc or laptop but with different components and whilst automotive legislation will ensure that the automobile that you buy will be fit for purpose, computer vendors and system integrators are getting away with selling what many experts would believe is really "barely fit for purpose".

Of course, what we are referring to is the amount of computer memory in your laptop or Pc.

As Pc power increases programs get more complex, and as they get more complex they use more computer memory.

The more programs you install even if only working in the background i.e. anti virus programs, music programs and system utilities the more memory is used and so on.

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