But if your computer will be used by someone who stores a lot of pictures, graphics or MP3 music files, you should spend extra money on more hard drive space. Among the bigger names, a Western Digital might cost a few dollars more than a Maxtor, but both are reliable drives. Random Access Memory is your computer's short-term memory. It's used for accessing data and writing to the hard drive. This is the drive you load your CD into.
Most software comes in the compact disc format.
Newer CD-ROM drives have speeds of 40X to 72X or higher. The higher the number, the faster data are carried for applications and program installation. The CD-RW, or CD burner, allows you to make your own CDs by using special blank discs. The CD-RWs, which cost a little more, are rewritable and can be used multiple times. There are also blank CDs made for recording music only.