Your computer
is capable of a lot more than you might give it credit for.
Computers significantly contribute to speeding up the pace of technological developments. Large powerful computers from 30 to 40 years ago can now be outmatched by the computing power of modern day cell phones. Although mobile computing has rapidly become more prevalent, desktop computers still remain a preference with many people, providing a vast array of uses.
Productivity Tool
Even before the Internet began changing the way people connect and communicate with each other, research and acquire information and perform business and trade, computers were already widely used for enhancing productivity either at home or in the workplace. Computers with basic word processing, spreadsheets and databases allow for quicker and more accurate ways of getting work done than with paper, pens and a calculator. This also enables multi-tasking for enhanced productivity, and provides organization of files into a digital format, which turns into a space-saver for documents that would otherwise take up a large physical area.
Multi-Media Entertainment
Most computers come with DVD or CD-ROM drives; a desktop computer only needs a good video and sound card to be a complete entertainment package. A wireless keyboard and access to the Internet provide users access to movies, TV shows, and even popular music; all through a simple home desktop computer. The key advantage that a desktop computer holds over laptops or mobile devices lies in larger monitors and speakers, both of which can be more easily outfitted in a stationary area, especially as the quality and size grow larger.
Server
Especially useful for an older CPU, desktop computers can create a home network or small office network server. It may not have the vast storage capacity and power of a fully functional server for handling huge data traffic, but it has the capability for smaller scale server functions. One printer connected to a PC automatically becomes a network printer. The server can also be used for downloading large files and for storing data files. Enabling a remote desktop allows access to the server from any computer in the network you create.
Super Computer Processing
Your computer can help perform tasks that even some of the world's super-computers might not be efficient for. Due to lack of processing time on super-computers, and often due to lack of power as well, some data-crunching problems can take a long time to solve. A solution to allow home-users to download software via the Internet, which operates as a screensaver, gave users software focused on sorting through data. The combination of thousands, and sometimes millions, of computers means that a network of everyday desktop computers can be turned into an extremely large super-computer. An example of this is Project SETI, which allows users to download a free program that analyzes collected data.
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