# On a level of 1-10, what is your skill level with computers?



## ADE

OK, I always see new members come and go, but this thread is just to help us and others. For example, say a new member joins, they come here, rate their skill level and then we know if we as "veterans" should speak with a simple yet descriptive manor, or if there well learned and know : abbreviations, technical words, complex instructions, terms, assumed knowledge of understanding specification, knowledge of quality or crappy stuff, low need to further elaborate on subjects, have good knowledge of how things like a GPU or CPU work in depth, etc. 

1 = need a full explanation
10 = just give me an answer and I know what to do with it

Not only just the new members, but just be honest and say what you think you are (10 also = know how a GPU works and how it decodes, creates an image, how it determines a pixel's place within the monitors picture that is displayed, how it is given data and how it processes it etc (not just GPUs though)- basically, it says you know just about how everything in a computer and how everything in it works to the material it is used and why that material is used for it- its kinda like saying if you wanted to you could build you own CPU if you were given the materials needed to make it.

I think I about a 6.


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## sup2jzgte

I would say a 3-4


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## jp198780

hmm, 6-8?


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## Geoff

I'd say 8-9.  I can solve pretty much any hardware or software issue when it comes to desktop and laptops.  I'm not as eduacted right now in networking and servers, however I am taking courses right now which will educate me more in those areas.


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## ADE

And just to let everyone know, I don't just mean PC, I mean MAC, Linux, etc. (only goes for if your a 10)


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## Geoff

ADE said:


> And just to let everyone know, I don't just mean PC, I mean MAC, Linux, etc. (only goes for if your a 10)



I should also note that I am fairly knowledgable in the Mac OS and a few Linux distros.  I'm more toward the 8 if you want to only have a single number.


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## bigsaucybob

I would say 6, because I am more of a hardware expert than a software guy.


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## The_Beast

3-4 i know all the parts needed. what to do but not in networking, OS, all the cables needed the little stuff that i can ask all you guys.


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## Redbull{wings}

id say 5 or 6 as im still learning more detailed how it works but ive worked with windows and linux and even some mac at my schools and i understand a lot


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## diduknowthat

I'd say I'm 5 to 6..But I'm mainly hardware, nothing software.


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## WeatherMan

Id say about 6 here


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## Impr3ssiv3

7-8

not quite up there with spyware and such


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## ADE

numbers like 8.5 are ok. Just not anything like 3.14159265358979323846264338332795


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## ADE

A good place to learn on stuff like computers and components right down to the microscopic detail is this place.
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/


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## ChickenWing

9.


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## 34erd

Honestly... I'd say a 1.  Compared to some of the experts out there I know nothing, I can do basic stuff by myself but thats it... 

Using your skill range and what everyone else is saying I'd say a 6.



> Not only just the new members, but just be honest and say what you think you are (10 also = know how a GPU works and how it decodes, creates an image, how it determines a pixel's place within the monitors picture that is displayed, how it is given data and how it processes it etc (not just GPUs though)- basically, it says you know just about how everything in a computer and how everything in it works to the material it is used and why that material is used for it- its kinda like saying if you wanted to you could build you own CPU if you were given the materials needed to make it.


Well thats what I mean... no offence to people here, but very few of us actually know a great deal about low-level hardware and software.  As for building my own CPU... well, it's not as simple as that... give me a fab plant and a thousand or so workers and maybe


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## ETSA

I would say, slightly above average expierence/knowledge.


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## ADE

Yeah, in order to really know how do do that you would need to be in every honors class from junior high-high school so you can qualify for a school that you can take the class (and get a scholarship) and take that class for about 7-8 years....that's do it......


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## Geoff

34erd said:


> Honestly... I'd say a 1.  Compared to some of the experts out there I know nothing, I can do basic stuff by myself but thats it...
> 
> Using your skill range and what everyone else is saying I'd say a 6.
> 
> 
> Well thats what I mean... no offence to people here, but very few of us actually know a great deal about low-level hardware and software.  As for building my own CPU... well, it's not as simple as that... give me a fab plant and a thousand or so workers and maybe



I completly agree with you.  But when I saw that his 10 was "give me an answer, and I can figure it out", I think im pretty close to that (8).  

Now if were talking 1 being the average person who only knows how to open Word, 5 being Bill Gates, and 10 being the Einstein of computers, I would say i'm around a 3.


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## Motoxrdude

It is really hard to answer this question. Compared to some people you would be a 10, and to others a 1. I would say I am about a 2-3. Some kids at my school make praetor look dumb, seriously, these dudes are insane.


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## Ku-sama

[-0MEGA-];456225 said:
			
		

> Now if were talking 1 being the average person who only knows how to open Word, 5 being Bill Gates, and 10 being the Einstein of computers, I would say i'm around a 3.





nonono.... 1=Word user, 5=Bill Gates, 10=Preator 

Average humen scale:
about 7.5-8, depends on the situation


above mentioned scale, about a 3


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## wicked859

5-6, more towards hardware then anything maybe even 4-5..


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## 4W4K3

It really depends on what you're talking about. For the most part...maybe a 3-4. There are a few things I am pretty confident in, but an even greater number of things I couldn't even begin to understand.

Seriously, it's like asking someone "how smart are you?" Well..."smart" in what regard? Am I good in math? Is my GPA high? Or can I come up with a cure for all cancer? "smart" is a VERY general term...you need to specify.


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## ADE

Ku-sama said:


> nonono.... 1=Word user, 5=Bill Gates, 10=Preator
> 
> Average humen scale:
> about 7.5-8, depends on the situation
> 
> 
> above mentioned scale, about a 3



Bill G is a SW guy, not a hardware....


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## The_Other_One

I'd say my skill's rather low.  I mean look at how broad of a topic we're talking about here!  You have networking, programming, hardware, software, video, audio, CAD...  Man, the list can go on and on.  And when you know a PC in and out, what about Macintosh, or SUN...  What about Windows/Solaris/Unix/Mac OS/Linux...  What about older computers?

I guess about 5 or 6.  I know:
*hardware in and out and I've learned a good bit about other systems
*some programming(C++, Java, HTML)
*networking(mostly common LAN stuff, and a little Cisco and high end encription)
*video editing


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## jljhlhl

I would say im a 3-4. My main problem is I have no money to buy new stuff and figure out. Before I came here, I didnt know how to build a computer, where to buy parts even, so I bought a prebuilt computer. If I could afford a new computer, Im sure I could build it, and even OC it. But I have no money so I dont know.


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## DCIScouts

I'd say in the grand scheme of things..., about a 6.  I know the most in these areas:

Printers
General Software issues
some Video Card/driver issues
some Sound Card/speaker issues
some Video/Audio editing
some Networking
some Digital Camera
and a pretty good bit about Dreamweaver and other website design software


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## chrisalviola

rating your self must depend on your field, if you know alot on computers and your a biology student or someting else you must be preety good. then you can rate your self 10.


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## Archangel

-4        no, honestly, i have no idea,..  i can handle myself, but thats about it i gues


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## chrisalviola

Archangel said:


> -4        no, honestly, i have no idea,..  i can handle myself, but thats about it i gues



Very humble, just a 4? maybe your a 7 yor preety good at computers.


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## Rambo

Ku-sama said:


> nonono.... 1=Word user, 5=Bill Gates, 10=Preator



If I'm getting annoyed at how people always miss-spell *Praetor*'s name, imagine how he is feeling...


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## Cromewell

I don't want to rate myself but in all fairness a 10 being Praetor is a bit much. He knows a lot but I don't think anyone can be a 10, even a 9 is pushing it.

That said, I'll take an 11 

seriously, maybe a 7.


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## chrisalviola

Cromewell said:


> I don't want to rate myself but in all fairness a 10 being Praetor is a bit much. He knows a lot but I don't think anyone can be a 10, even a 9 is pushing it.
> 
> That said, I'll take an 11
> 
> seriously, maybe a 7.



no one I think here can be a 10, if your a 10 you must be good at anything on computers and by using that talent you must be so rich already you have all these jobs and wont have time for forums.


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## Emperor_nero

I would say i'm about a 5-6.
I know hardware
some progamming html, VB, java
networking 
and some digital pictures and video editing


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## Cromewell

> if your a 10 you must be good at anything on computers and by using that talent you must be so rich already you have all these jobs and wont have time for forums


Not really. Paper knowledge (anything that isn't proven at a given job) is very nearly useless.

I guess my post isn't that clear I rated myself at a 7, the 11 was a joke. or maybe I'm just taking your response as a direct to mine when it's only partially to mine.


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## Archangel

Cromewell said:


> the 11 was a joke. or maybe I'm just taking your response as a direct to mine when it's only partially to mine.



Oh,...  the 11 was a joke...


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## chrisalviola

I rate my self at 11 when iam alone in the office.


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## TEKKA

4-5 hardware/software some programing not very much.


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## Bobo

With software, maybe a 6.  8 with hardware, and about 3 with programming.  So average those, and I'm a 5.666.


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## Shane

about 3-4

I can solve most general problems myself but when it comes to the hardware side of things im a little stumped


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## jimmymac

hmm difficult one to judge really. I'm looking at some peoples answers and based on the criteria i wonder if people aren't over estimating themselves, i dont mean it as any offence byt if we are talking a 10 is knowing everything pretty much backwards hardware wise, right down to the inner workings of the integral parts. Plust knowledge of all the major OS', programming and such then I would end up putting myself nearer 2-3!

I know the hardware damn well, what to do if it goes wrong, how to repair the majority of faults etc. But I couldnt tell you the inner workings of my GPU. I know windows pretty dam well, i'm forever fixing friends software issues but i've never even touched linux, Mac etc.

to say i was a 6-7 would be a huge over estimation as that kind of level would require a huge increase in knowledge i feel.


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## Cromewell

Who says someone who said 5-7 doesn't know most of that? Quite a few people have extensively used windows & linux. Macs are based on Linux now, the hardware is all off the self stuff. To fix a majority of problems you need some software knowledge and an understanding of the hardware.


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## belfong

7-8 maby...


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## Archangel

Tough... i dont think you can put up the number for yourself..  Other people have to give you the number i gues.. since that would be way more accurate   ( Maybe an idea to have a bar under the avatar of each person, to see what other people think if what he knows,. you know, like a rating 1 till 10 or so)
on the other hand, it may not be such a great idea


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## Diamondsleeper

I'm pretty familiar with hardware but I'm pretty much clueless on programming software. So if I'm looking at the whole hardware/software spectrum overall I'd have to say I'm about 6-7


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## jimmymac

Cromewell said:


> Who says someone who said 5-7 doesn't know most of that? Quite a few people have extensively used windows & linux. Macs are based on Linux now, the hardware is all off the self stuff. To fix a majority of problems you need some software knowledge and an understanding of the hardware.



i only meant some of them, i know full well that there are people there with that knowledge and i agree with their scoring, however i see others with a similar score and after viewing the forums i don't believe that they have the same level of knowledge after reading posts.

Of course i'm not going to go into detail on who but i believe its very difficult to give yourself a 1-10 rating over everything.

Now if it was broken down into its constituent components then people could possibly give a better account of themselves.


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## Diamondsleeper

Rambo said:


> If I'm getting annoyed at how people always miss-spell *Praetor*'s name, imagine how he is feeling...



Boo Hoo


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## tlarkin

is this like, am I hot or not?  Rate me 1 to 10.

Well, everyone's knowledge is different and there are different types of computer expertise.  Can you configure high end servers and routers to manage large WANs or MANs, or even run the internet?  Can you develop applications for high end use to professional users?  Can you troubleshoot software/hardware problems effectively?  Do you have the ability to set up 1000s of users, bind them to a domain (AD, OD, NDS) and set up major user permissions and group policies and effectively implement them?

Can you install an OS?  Can you take apart a laptop screw for screw and replace major componets and put it back together and not have any extra parts or screws, and actually fix it?

I work with computers (macs, pcs, linux, windows, novell, etc) for a living, and there is one constant I have found working with them.  There is never just one way to accomplish your goals with technology.  There are many ways to get what you need done, and there may be some better ways over others probably there is not an absolute best way.


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## Diamondsleeper

tlarkin said:


> is this like, am I hot or not?  Rate me 1 to 10.
> 
> Well, everyone's knowledge is different and there are different types of computer expertise.  Can you configure high end servers and routers to manage large WANs or MANs, or even run the internet?  Can you develop applications for high end use to professional users?  Can you troubleshoot software/hardware problems effectively?  Do you have the ability to set up 1000s of users, bind them to a domain (AD, OD, NDS) and set up major user permissions and group policies and effectively implement them?
> 
> Can you install an OS?  Can you take apart a laptop screw for screw and replace major componets and put it back together and not have any extra parts or screws, and actually fix it?
> 
> I work with computers (macs, pcs, linux, windows, novell, etc) for a living, and there is one constant I have found working with them.  There is never just one way to accomplish your goals with technology.  There are many ways to get what you need done, and there may be some better ways over others probably there is not an absolute best way.



Yup, Well said. My genius level is beyond everybodies comprehension here!!!  Right now everything I know, is all I need to know. When I need to know more, I will think of it like Jimmy Newtron. I invented the computer by the way.  Now if I plan on doing it for a living that is a different matter.  I would have to go for formal training.


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## Ku-sama

Rambo said:


> If I'm getting annoyed at how people always miss-spell *Praetor*'s name, imagine how he is feeling...




yeah, i mix my vowles sometimes.... A before E,  after P


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## SirKenin

Can I be honest without sounding mean?  Noone here is above a 5, maybe a 6 at the outside.  I have not seen one poster who can hit above that.  The greatest majority are at a 4 or lower.  Knowing how to throw cards in a computer and install Windows does not a guru make.  Neither does just knowing your Windows and maybe the occasional anti-virus program, or cutting and pasting useless, out of context articles or other search engine results as a de facto response, or cutting and pasting the same 3 steps to solve a spyware problem over and over again.  etc.  You catch my drift.  lol 

I don't know where I stand.  I don't care.  I understand how a GPU works.  I understand how a CPU works.  I understand how RAM works.  I think like a computer, which is a rare skill (but not exactly a covetted one.  It essentially means that you are a sociopath that thinks with logic, not with emotion).  There is nothing I can't fix when I set my mind to it.  In 18 years of computers I have never had a machine beat me yet (diagnosing a computer over the web is like trying to fix a car over the phone.  You have a success rate of about 10% or less, but you might be able to set them in the right direction).  BUT.  I would never give myself a rating.  If I feel like answering, I will.  If I'm not in the mood, I won't.

There is no need for this rating nonsense.  You should always assume that the user asking the question needs a reasonable explanation without all the technobabble.  Yeah, I know the technobabble.  Do you see me use it?  No, never.  This is a beginners help forum.  Using babble is just going to scare them off.  Keep with the real english and everything will work fine. 

Just my two cents, take it or leave it.




Edit:  On further thought, another smoke and a glass of pop....   I thought I would clarify where I'm coming from before you jump through the screen at me.  There is so much to know about computers to give oneself even close to a 10.  There are Apple's (the Red Delicious is excellent, you should try them), IBM compatibles, Solaris, SPARC, tablet PCs, minicomputers, mainframes, supercomputers.  There's Windows in a dozen flavors, Linux, Unix, Mac OS-x, DOS (which virtually noone here knows about), RTOS, VMS,  Novell.  There's networking, standalone, routers, gateways, switches, servers, RIPs (I'll bet noone here even knows what a RIP is without looking it up on Google.  They are pretty industry specific), thin clients, RAID arrays.  There are probably 100,000 different software programs on the market.  Probably more hardware than that floating around.

Then, let's talk about programming.  Java, C++, Visual Basic, Python, Simula, Perl, ActiveX, Cobol, Fortran, Tcl/Tk, Ruby, PHP, etc.  You get the idea.

So.  Nobody here is obviously even close to a ten unless you narrow the scope of the scale, but the OP left it pretty broad.  All I know is that I will remain humble, because there are a zillion people out there that know an awful lot more than I do.


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## circledancer

I have only owned a computer for less than 2 years, I am always learning and would have to rate my skills at a 1, I joined this forum in the hopes of expanding on what I have learned. I am a co owner of a forum, that has given me an intro into code and such, I am interested in computer graphics and have been teaching myself to use a program to create them. I look forward to growing.


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## dragon2309

8 i suppose, i dont know mac at all, everythign else im faily competant on, that is in general though, everyone has there little subject that they know everything about, for me that woudl maybe be netwoking

dragon


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## Geoff

SirKenin said:


> Can I be honest without sounding mean?  Noone here is above a 5, maybe a 6 at the outside.


I would agree if were saying 10 is the einstein of computers, but with the scale he gave, he said that a 10 is someone who you can just give the answer to, and they can figure it out.


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## jimmymac

[-0MEGA-];456749 said:
			
		

> I would agree if were saying 10 is the einstein of computers, but with the scale he gave, he said that a 10 is someone who you can just give the answer to, and they can figure it out.



no he said 10 was just give me an answer and i know what to do with it , i think what he means is just give me whatever problem you have and i can fix it..he goes on to explain in more detail in the rest of the post:




> 10 also = know how a GPU works and how it decodes, creates an image, how it determines a pixel's place within the monitors picture that is displayed, how it is given data and how it processes it etc (not just GPUs though)- basically, it says you know just about how everything in a computer and how everything in it works to the material it is used and why that material is used for it- its kinda like saying if you wanted to you could build you own CPU if you were given the materials needed to make it.




this is why i put my post about myself probably being about 2/3 and many people over estimating themselves

don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people here with some amazing expertise and between all of the community we can most likely solve the majority of problems but i doubt there are many that can really, honestly put themselves up in the top tiers of a scale such as 1-10

As i said previously it would be easier to grade your self in specific sections of computing.

however all in all the idea of even grading yourself seems a bit pish to me


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## Verve

4 maybe 5. I'm good with hardware, software is not my speciality


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## Diamondsleeper

SirKenin said:


> Can I be honest without sounding mean?  Noone here is above a 5, maybe a 6 at the outside.  I have not seen one poster who can hit above that.  The greatest majority are at a 4 or lower.  Knowing how to throw cards in a computer and install Windows does not a guru make.  Neither does just knowing your Windows and maybe the occasional anti-virus program, or cutting and pasting useless, out of context articles or other search engine results as a de facto response, or cutting and pasting the same 3 steps to solve a spyware problem over and over again.  etc.  You catch my drift.  lol
> 
> I don't know where I stand.  I don't care.  I understand how a GPU works.  I understand how a CPU works.  I understand how RAM works.  I think like a computer, which is a rare skill (but not exactly a covetted one.  It essentially means that you are a sociopath that thinks with logic, not with emotion).  There is nothing I can't fix when I set my mind to it.  In 18 years of computers I have never had a machine beat me yet (diagnosing a computer over the web is like trying to fix a car over the phone.  You have a success rate of about 10% or less, but you might be able to set them in the right direction).  BUT.  I would never give myself a rating.  If I feel like answering, I will.  If I'm not in the mood, I won't.
> 
> There is no need for this rating nonsense.  You should always assume that the user asking the question needs a reasonable explanation without all the technobabble.  Yeah, I know the technobabble.  Do you see me use it?  No, never.  This is a beginners help forum.  Using babble is just going to scare them off.  Keep with the real english and everything will work fine.
> 
> Just my two cents, take it or leave it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Edit:  On further thought, another smoke and a glass of pop....   I thought I would clarify where I'm coming from before you jump through the screen at me.  There is so much to know about computers to give oneself even close to a 10.  There are Apple's (the Red Delicious is excellent, you should try them), IBM compatibles, Solaris, SPARC, tablet PCs, minicomputers, mainframes, supercomputers.  There's Windows in a dozen flavors, Linux, Unix, Mac OS-x, DOS (which virtually noone here knows about), RTOS, VMS,  Novell.  There's networking, standalone, routers, gateways, switches, servers, RIPs (I'll bet noone here even knows what a RIP is without looking it up on Google.  They are pretty industry specific), thin clients, RAID arrays.  There are probably 100,000 different software programs on the market.  Probably more hardware than that floating around.
> 
> Then, let's talk about programming.  Java, C++, Visual Basic, Python, Simula, Perl, ActiveX, Cobol, Fortran, Tcl/Tk, Ruby, PHP, etc.  You get the idea.
> 
> So.  Nobody here is obviously even close to a ten unless you narrow the scope of the scale, but the OP left it pretty broad.  All I know is that I will remain humble, because there are a zillion people out there that know an awful lot more than I do.



YUP... I'm a 10 definately.


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## tlarkin

This is what I know and work with professionally...

Windows 9x/2k/xp/server/ad/exchange

Linux - I run SUSE 10.1 on my desktop at work and my laptop

DOS - I use it for boot disks

Novell - netware 6.5 servers throughout my work, all windows boxes are bound to NDS

OS X/classic and yes i actually have apple certifications

Hardware repair certs - apple, HP accredited specialist (enterprise products), HP laser printer, Epson, Canon, Gateway, and Sony (though I barely ever work on laser printers, even though I passed the certification so I am not really a practicing tech when it comes to that stuff, I need a service manual to diagnose them).  I fully understand how OSes, memory management, hardware, etc work, but I couldn't design a motherboard in auto cad inventor or anything like that.

I can repair/configure  just about anything that is set in front of me.  Some items may require some research for me to implement it properly, but in the end i can get it done.

I have video producers and digital audio recording studios as clients for my side work.

What I don't know:

Programming - umm I can write a script LOL and thats it
Video Editing (though I build RAID rigs all the time for video editors)
Audio Editing (i can build a studio no prob tho)
Web developement (but I do know a bit of HTML, Java, and CSS, but am no way a dev)
Grahpic arts - ya i suck at photoshop compared to actual graphic artists
Hardware developement 
Applications - I by no way am familiar with every app out there, there are tons I don't know
Database work - I hate data base work, and find it utterly boring, but I did learn MYSQL kind of a while ago with PHP, but I used templates
various - I am sure there are plenty of little various things I do not know at all I can't think of any off the top of my head, but that is beacuse I don't know them, lol

Bottom line, you can't generalize computer knowledge into one category.  I mean do companies have one guy for IT, helpdesk, admin, developement, database, networking, repair etc?  No, they departmentalize because it would be impossible for one person to actually learn all that stuff.  

If you are trying to figure out people's expertise on this forum, perhaps make it by category

Examples:

Grahpic Design/Computer Animation
Database Programming
Software Developer
Hardware Repair
Hardware Developer
Software/Applications (basic useage, internet/email burn cds)
Networking/Security
Production software suites (ie office apps, dvd authoring software, post design stuff)
Web Developement
Technical writer

The list could go on and on.

As for myself I would rate myself as a constant learner, and I also don't specialize in any one specific field.  I am a jack of all traits and master of none, or perhaps a master of intergration.  I don't think there is a numerical value I could rate myself with honestly.


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## Yue

6 for me


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## Archangel

[-0MEGA-];456749 said:
			
		

> I would agree if were saying 10 is the einstein of computers, but with the scale he gave, he said that a 10 is someone who you can just give the answer to, and they can figure it out.




cool..   didnt see that     that pushes me from -4 to about 8 or so i think


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## jimmymac

Archangel said:


> cool..   didnt see that     that pushes me from -4 to about 8 or so i think



but thats not what he said, read my post below omega's


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## Archangel

jimmymac said:


> but thats not what he said, read my post below omega's



aww... good feelings gone...   bloody liverpool supporters..


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## jimmymac

mwahahahahaha, here to spoil you fun


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## ADE

Yes, I must question myself. Now thinking everything over, I must be a 3. Good enough.


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## Sacrinyellow5

ummm probably a 3.56


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## Bobo

Going by SirKenins' description, I'm probably around pi.  (which also happens to be my favorite number.   )


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## Geoff

Going by the original question, I would stick with my number, 8.

However going by either mine or SirKenin's description, I would say around a 3-4.


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## ADE

Hay, what does BOBO mean?


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## Bobo

ADE said:


> Hay, what does BOBO mean?


Is it pertinant to this topic?  No, I didn't think so.


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## Dr Studly

compared to average person being 5, the dumbest being 1, and the best in the world being 10...
i am 7ish


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## Shady

I didn't have time to read all posts ... but i noticed that most people give themselves high score.
If you are aware about the amount of knowledge you can gain in computers you wouldn't give yourself score above 2.

I'm pretty aware of hardware and new tech stuff.
I program in C,C++,C# and some x86 assembly.
And I developed a game using GameMaker (not the best thing in the world but still it's a game).
I model stuff using Maya.
I know a bit about 3ds max.
I'm ok in photoshop.
I'm pretty good at networks.
I use Linux sometimes to do some stuff.

I think I deserve a 1.

Seriously guys try to look outside for a moment. then you will realize how lost you were.


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## Bobo

shady said:


> If you are aware about the amount of knowledge you can gain in computers you wouldn't give yourself score above 2.


But that wasn't how the question was asked.


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## Shady

Bobo said:


> But that wasn't how the question was asked.



Still the dude said in depth. 
Do you know how deep is a CPU ?( nothing personal )
but let me give you a simple example.
How many guys here can explain how a CPU does a simple add operation (in depth) ?
and by saying in depth I mean which registers the CPU is gonna use to do that operation and so on. 

I'm not underestimating any of you guys but my point is that the question is so unfair.


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## tlarkin

I would say 42, the answer is definitely 42...


----------



## jimmymac

shady said:


> I didn't have time to read all posts ... but i noticed that most people give themselves high score.
> If you are aware about the amount of knowledge you can gain in computers you wouldn't give yourself score above 2.
> 
> I'm pretty aware of hardware and new tech stuff.
> I program in C,C++,C# and some x86 assembly.
> And I developed a game using GameMaker (not the best thing in the world but still it's a game).
> I model stuff using Maya.
> I know a bit about 3ds max.
> I'm ok in photoshop.
> I'm pretty good at networks.
> I use Linux sometimes to do some stuff.
> 
> I think I deserve a 1.
> 
> Seriously guys try to look outside for a moment. then you will realize how lost you were.



spot on, sure i've said pretty similar twice in this thread but seems people just skim posts nowadays



Bobo said:


> But that wasn't how the question was asked.




but the parameters were a lot higher than people seem to realise, read his post again



> 10 = just give me an answer and I know what to do with it



not the best grammar but i think that should have read, give me your problem and i can solve it whatever it is



> 10 also = know how a GPU works and how it decodes, creates an image, how it determines a pixel's place within the monitors picture that is displayed, how it is given data and how it processes it etc (not just GPUs though)- basically, it says you know just about how everything in a computer and how everything in it works to the material it is used and why that material is used for it- its kinda like saying if you wanted to you could build you own CPU if you were given the materials needed to make it.



any of us anywhere near that? who here has built their own CPU then?

nobody?

ok i'll stick with my original estimate of myself of around 2 then..

lots of overestimation here methinks 



tlarkin said:


> I would say 42, the answer is definitely 42...




42? 42? 

well it would help if i really knew the question...

nice one deep thought


----------



## holyjunk

tlarkin said:


> I would say 42, the answer is definitely 42...



haha, nice quote off of Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.   Anyway um..... I would rate myself about .5. For a score on this site umm.... 6?


----------



## SirKenin

hahaha.  I'm taking a bit of a risk here, but this thread is exactly the same thing as asking a guy how big he is...with the same results.  A lot of overexaggeration.  It just occured to me right now.  Don't ask me..  I take no responsibility.  Stupid things just pop into my head sometimes.


----------



## pokemon87654

5-6 
I have a pc and mac 
built PC, no how to basically do everything, still don't no anything about lunix
mac I know enough, but im best with PC, and networking things..


----------



## Archangel

shady said:


> and by saying in depth I mean which registers the CPU is gonna use to do that operation and so on.



thats pretty lame..  I could tell a bit about it.. but for example i have no idea how the ALU works (and i dont think many people know that anyway)
ofcourse the architecture matters a bit  ^_^


----------



## ADE

I beleave I can shed a little light on the situation

A microprocessor -- also known as a CPU or central processing unit -- is a complete computation engine that is fabricated on a single chip. The first microprocessor was the Intel 4004, introduced in 1971. The 4004 was not very powerful -- all it could do was add and subtract, and it could only do that 4 bits at a time. But it was amazing that everything was on one chip. Prior to the 4004, engineers built computers either from collections of chips or from discrete components (transistors wired one at a time). The 4004 powered one of the first portable electronic calculators. 


Intel 8080

The first microprocessor to make it into a home computer was the Intel 8080, a complete 8-bit computer on one chip, introduced in 1974. The first microprocessor to make a real splash in the market was the Intel 8088, introduced in 1979 and incorporated into the IBM PC (which first appeared around 1982). If you are familiar with the PC market and its history, you know that the PC market moved from the 8088 to the 80286 to the 80386 to the 80486 to the Pentium to the Pentium II to the Pentium III to the Pentium 4. All of these microprocessors are made by Intel and all of them are improvements on the basic design of the 8088. The Pentium 4 can execute any piece of code that ran on the original 8088, but it does it about 5,000 times faster! 

Microprocessor Progression: Intel
The following table helps you to understand the differences between the different processors that Intel has introduced over the years. 


Name Date Transistors Microns Clock speed Data width MIPS 
8080 1974 6,000 6 2 MHz 8 bits 0.64 
8088 1979 29,000 3 5 MHz 16 bits
8-bit bus 0.33 
80286 1982 134,000 1.5 6 MHz 16 bits 1 
80386 1985 275,000 1.5 16 MHz 32 bits 5 
80486 1989 1,200,000 1 25 MHz 32 bits 20 
Pentium 1993 3,100,000 0.8 60 MHz 32 bits
64-bit bus 100 
Pentium II 1997 7,500,000 0.35 233 MHz 32 bits
64-bit bus ~300 
Pentium III 1999 9,500,000 0.25 450 MHz 32 bits
64-bit bus ~510 
Pentium 4 2000 42,000,000 0.18 1.5 GHz 32 bits
64-bit bus ~1,700 
Pentium 4 "Prescott" 2004 125,000,000 0.09 3.6 GHz 32 bits
64-bit bus ~7,000 

Compiled from The Intel Microprocessor Quick Reference Guide and TSCP Benchmark Scores 
Information about this table: 

What's a Chip?
A chip is also called an integrated circuit. Generally it is a small, thin piece of silicon onto which the transistors making up the microprocessor have been etched. A chip might be as large as an inch on a side and can contain tens of millions of transistors. Simpler processors might consist of a few thousand transistors etched onto a chip just a few millimeters square.

The date is the year that the processor was first introduced. Many processors are re-introduced at higher clock speeds for many years after the original release date. 
Transistors is the number of transistors on the chip. You can see that the number of transistors on a single chip has risen steadily over the years. 
Microns is the width, in microns, of the smallest wire on the chip. For comparison, a human hair is 100 microns thick. As the feature size on the chip goes down, the number of transistors rises. 
Clock speed is the maximum rate that the chip can be clocked at. Clock speed will make more sense in the next section. 
Data Width is the width of the ALU. An 8-bit ALU can add/subtract/multiply/etc. two 8-bit numbers, while a 32-bit ALU can manipulate 32-bit numbers. An 8-bit ALU would have to execute four instructions to add two 32-bit numbers, while a 32-bit ALU can do it in one instruction. In many cases, the external data bus is the same width as the ALU, but not always. The 8088 had a 16-bit ALU and an 8-bit bus, while the modern Pentiums fetch data 64 bits at a time for their 32-bit ALUs. 
MIPS stands for "millions of instructions per second" and is a rough measure of the performance of a CPU. Modern CPUs can do so many different things that MIPS ratings lose a lot of their meaning, but you can get a general sense of the relative power of the CPUs from this column. 
From this table you can see that, in general, there is a relationship between clock speed and MIPS. The maximum clock speed is a function of the manufacturing process and delays within the chip. There is also a relationship between the number of transistors and MIPS. For example, the 8088 clocked at 5 MHz but only executed at 0.33 MIPS (about one instruction per 15 clock cycles). Modern processors can often execute at a rate of two instructions per clock cycle.

To understand how a microprocessor works, it is helpful to look inside and learn about the logic used to create one. In the process you can also learn about assembly language -- the native language of a microprocessor -- and many of the things that engineers can do to boost the speed of a processor. 
A microprocessor executes a collection of machine instructions that tell the processor what to do. Based on the instructions, a microprocessor does three basic things: 

Using its ALU (Arithmetic/Logic Unit), a microprocessor can perform mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Modern microprocessors contain complete floating point processors that can perform extremely sophisticated operations on large floating point numbers. 
A microprocessor can move data from one memory location to another. 
A microprocessor can make decisions and jump to a new set of instructions based on those decisions. 
There may be very sophisticated things that a microprocessor does, but those are its three basic activities. The following diagram shows an extremely simple microprocessor capable of doing those three things: 




This is about as simple as a microprocessor gets. This microprocessor has: 

An address bus (that may be 8, 16 or 32 bits wide) that sends an address to memory 
A data bus (that may be 8, 16 or 32 bits wide) that can send data to memory or receive data from memory 
An RD (read) and WR (write) line to tell the memory whether it wants to set or get the addressed location 
A clock line that lets a clock pulse sequence the processor 
A reset line that resets the program counter to zero (or whatever) and restarts execution 
Let's assume that both the address and data buses are 8 bits wide in this example. 
Here are the components of this simple microprocessor: 

Registers A, B and C are simply latches made out of flip-flops. (See the section on "edge-triggered latches" in How Boolean Logic Works for details.) 
The address latch is just like registers A, B and C. 
The program counter is a latch with the extra ability to increment by 1 when told to do so, and also to reset to zero when told to do so. 
The ALU could be as simple as an 8-bit adder (see the section on adders in How Boolean Logic Works for details), or it might be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide 8-bit values. Let's assume the latter here. 
The test register is a special latch that can hold values from comparisons performed in the ALU. An ALU can normally compare two numbers and determine if they are equal, if one is greater than the other, etc. The test register can also normally hold a carry bit from the last stage of the adder. It stores these values in flip-flops and then the instruction decoder can use the values to make decisions. 
There are six boxes marked "3-State" in the diagram. These are tri-state buffers. A tri-state buffer can pass a 1, a 0 or it can essentially disconnect its output (imagine a switch that totally disconnects the output line from the wire that the output is heading toward). A tri-state buffer allows multiple outputs to connect to a wire, but only one of them to actually drive a 1 or a 0 onto the line. 
The instruction register and instruction decoder are responsible for controlling all of the other components. 
Helpful Articles
If you are new to digital logic, you may find the following articles helpful in understanding this section: 

How Bytes and Bits Work 
How Boolean Logic Works 
How Electronic Gates Work 

Although they are not shown in this diagram, there would be control lines from the instruction decoder that would: 
Tell the A register to latch the value currently on the data bus 
Tell the B register to latch the value currently on the data bus 
Tell the C register to latch the value currently output by the ALU 
Tell the program counter register to latch the value currently on the data bus 
Tell the address register to latch the value currently on the data bus 
Tell the instruction register to latch the value currently on the data bus 
Tell the program counter to increment 
Tell the program counter to reset to zero 
Activate any of the six tri-state buffers (six separate lines) 
Tell the ALU what operation to perform 
Tell the test register to latch the ALU's test bits 
Activate the RD line 
Activate the WR line 
Coming into the instruction decoder are the bits from the test register and the clock line, as well as the bits from the instruction register. 
RAM and ROM
The previous section talked about the address and data buses, as well as the RD and WR lines. These buses and lines connect either to RAM or ROM -- generally both. In our sample microprocessor, we have an address bus 8 bits wide and a data bus 8 bits wide. That means that the microprocessor can address (28) 256 bytes of memory, and it can read or write 8 bits of the memory at a time. Let's assume that this simple microprocessor has 128 bytes of ROM starting at address 0 and 128 bytes of RAM starting at address 128. 


ROM chip



ROM stands for read-only memory. A ROM chip is programmed with a permanent collection of pre-set bytes. The address bus tells the ROM chip which byte to get and place on the data bus. When the RD line changes state, the ROM chip presents the selected byte onto the data bus. 


RAM chip

RAM stands for random-access memory. RAM contains bytes of information, and the microprocessor can read or write to those bytes depending on whether the RD or WR line is signaled. One problem with today's RAM chips is that they forget everything once the power goes off. That is why the computer needs ROM. 

By the way, nearly all computers contain some amount of ROM (it is possible to create a simple computer that contains no RAM -- many microcontrollers do this by placing a handful of RAM bytes on the processor chip itself -- but generally impossible to create one that contains no ROM). On a PC, the ROM is called the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). When the microprocessor starts, it begins executing instructions it finds in the BIOS. The BIOS instructions do things like test the hardware in the machine, and then it goes to the hard disk to fetch the boot sector (see How Hard Disks Work for details). This boot sector is another small program, and the BIOS stores it in RAM after reading it off the disk. The microprocessor then begins executing the boot sector's instructions from RAM. The boot sector program will tell the microprocessor to fetch something else from the hard disk into RAM, which the microprocessor then executes, and so on. This is how the microprocessor loads and executes the entire operating system

The collection of instructions is implemented as bit patterns, each one of which has a different meaning when loaded into the instruction register. Humans are not particularly good at remembering bit patterns, so a set of short words are defined to represent the different bit patterns. This collection of words is called the assembly language of the processor. An assembler can translate the words into their bit patterns very easily, and then the output of the assembler is placed in memory for the microprocessor to execute. 
Here's the set of assembly language instructions that the designer might create for the simple microprocessor in our example: 

LOADA mem - Load register A from memory address 
LOADB mem - Load register B from memory address 
CONB con - Load a constant value into register B 
SAVEB mem - Save register B to memory address 
SAVEC mem - Save register C to memory address 
ADD - Add A and B and store the result in C 
SUB - Subtract A and B and store the result in C 
MUL - Multiply A and B and store the result in C 
DIV - Divide A and B and store the result in C 
COM - Compare A and B and store the result in test 
JUMP addr - Jump to an address 
JEQ addr - Jump, if equal, to address 
JNEQ addr - Jump, if not equal, to address 
JG addr - Jump, if greater than, to address 
JGE addr - Jump, if greater than or equal, to address 
JL addr - Jump, if less than, to address 
JLE addr - Jump, if less than or equal, to address 
STOP - Stop execution 
If you have read How C Programming Works, then you know that this simple piece of C code will calculate the factorial of 5 (where the factorial of 5 = 5! = 5 * 4 * 3 * 2 * 1 = 120): 

a=1;
f=1;
while (a <= 5)
{
    f = f * a;
    a = a + 1;
}

At the end of the program's execution, the variable f contains the factorial of 5. 


Assembly Language
A C compiler translates this C code into assembly language. Assuming that RAM starts at address 128 in this processor, and ROM (which contains the assembly language program) starts at address 0, then for our simple microprocessor the assembly language might look like this: 


// Assume a is at address 128
// Assume F is at address 129
0   CONB 1      // a=1;
1   SAVEB 128
2   CONB 1      // f=1;
3   SAVEB 129
4   LOADA 128   // if a > 5 the jump to 17
5   CONB 5
6   COM
7   JG 17
8   LOADA 129   // f=f*a;
9   LOADB 128
10  MUL
11  SAVEC 129
12  LOADA 128   // a=a+1;
13  CONB 1
14  ADD
15  SAVEC 128
16  JUMP 4       // loop back to if
17  STOP

ROM
So now the question is, "How do all of these instructions look in ROM?" Each of these assembly language instructions must be represented by a binary number. For the sake of simplicity, let's assume each assembly language instruction is given a unique number, like this: 

LOADA - 1 
LOADB - 2 
CONB - 3 
SAVEB - 4 
SAVEC mem - 5 
ADD - 6 
SUB - 7 
MUL - 8 
DIV - 9 
COM - 10 
JUMP addr - 11 
JEQ addr - 12 
JNEQ addr - 13 
JG addr - 14 
JGE addr - 15 
JL addr - 16 
JLE addr - 17 
STOP - 18 
The numbers are known as opcodes. In ROM, our little program would look like this: 

// Assume a is at address 128
// Assume F is at address 129
Addr opcode/value
0    3             // CONB 1
1    1
2    4             // SAVEB 128
3    128
4    3             // CONB 1
5    1
6    4             // SAVEB 129
7    129
8    1             // LOADA 128
9    128
10   3             // CONB 5
11   5
12   10            // COM
13   14            // JG 17
14   31
15   1             // LOADA 129
16   129
17   2             // LOADB 128
18   128
19   8             // MUL
20   5             // SAVEC 129
21   129
22   1             // LOADA 128
23   128
24   3             // CONB 1
25   1
26   6             // ADD
27   5             // SAVEC 128
28   128
29   11            // JUMP 4
30   8
31   18            // STOP

You can see that seven lines of C code became 18 lines of assembly language, and that became 32 bytes in ROM. 

Decoding
The instruction decoder needs to turn each of the opcodes into a set of signals that drive the different components inside the microprocessor. Let's take the ADD instruction as an example and look at what it needs to do: 

During the first clock cycle, we need to actually load the instruction. Therefore the instruction decoder needs to: 
activate the tri-state buffer for the program counter 
activate the RD line 
activate the data-in tri-state buffer 
latch the instruction into the instruction register 
During the second clock cycle, the ADD instruction is decoded. It needs to do very little: 
set the operation of the ALU to addition 
latch the output of the ALU into the C register 
During the third clock cycle, the program counter is incremented (in theory this could be overlapped into the second clock cycle). 
Every instruction can be broken down as a set of sequenced operations like these that manipulate the components of the microprocessor in the proper order. Some instructions, like this ADD instruction, might take two or three clock cycles. Others might take five or six clock cycles. 

The number of transistors available has a huge effect on the performance of a processor. As seen earlier, a typical instruction in a processor like an 8088 took 15 clock cycles to execute. Because of the design of the multiplier, it took approximately 80 cycles just to do one 16-bit multiplication on the 8088. With more transistors, much more powerful multipliers capable of single-cycle speeds become possible. 
More transistors also allow for a technology called pipelining. In a pipelined architecture, instruction execution overlaps. So even though it might take five clock cycles to execute each instruction, there can be five instructions in various stages of execution simultaneously. That way it looks like one instruction completes every clock cycle. 

Many modern processors have multiple instruction decoders, each with its own pipeline. This allows for multiple instruction streams, which means that more than one instruction can complete during each clock cycle. This technique can be quite complex to implement, so it takes lots of transistors. 

Trends
The trend in processor design has primarily been toward full 32-bit ALUs with fast floating point processors built in and pipelined execution with multiple instruction streams. The newest thing in processor design is 64-bit ALUs, and people are expected to have these processors in their home PCs in the next decade. There has also been a tendency toward special instructions (like the MMX instructions) that make certain operations particularly efficient, and the addition of hardware virtual memory support and L1 caching on the processor chip. All of these trends push up the transistor count, leading to the multi-million transistor powerhouses available today. These processors can execute about one billion instructions per second! 

64-bit Processors
Sixty-four-bit processors have been with us since 1992, and in the 21st century they have started to become mainstream. Both Intel and AMD have introduced 64-bit chips, and the Mac G5 sports a 64-bit processor. Sixty-four-bit processors have 64-bit ALUs, 64-bit registers, 64-bit buses and so on. 


Photo courtesy AMD



One reason why the world needs 64-bit processors is because of their enlarged address spaces. Thirty-two-bit chips are often constrained to a maximum of 2 GB or 4 GB of RAM access. That sounds like a lot, given that most home computers currently use only 256 MB to 512 MB of RAM. However, a 4-GB limit can be a severe problem for server machines and machines running large databases. And even home machines will start bumping up against the 2 GB or 4 GB limit pretty soon if current trends continue. A 64-bit chip has none of these constraints because a 64-bit RAM address space is essentially infinite for the foreseeable future -- 2^64 bytes of RAM is something on the order of a billion gigabytes of RAM. 

With a 64-bit address bus and wide, high-speed data buses on the motherboard, 64-bit machines also offer faster I/O (input/output) speeds to things like hard disk drives and video cards. These features can greatly increase system performance. 

Servers can definitely benefit from 64 bits, but what about normal users? Beyond the RAM solution, it is not clear that a 64-bit chip offers "normal users" any real, tangible benefits at the moment. They can process data (very complex data features lots of real numbers) faster. People doing video editing and people doing photographic editing on very large images benefit from this kind of computing power. High-end games will also benefit, once they are re-coded to take advantage of 64-bit features. But the average user who is reading e-mail, browsing the Web and editing Word documents is not really using the processor in that way. 





Yeah, I'm just a #10 like that.


----------



## SirKenin

Yeah, that's a brilliant cut and paste.  I think you read too many of a certain other member's posts.  

Like I said in a previous post, just because you can cut and paste doesn't mean you know your stuff.    Although it's hard to tell over the internet whether you're being facetious or not.  lol


----------



## Jet

lol, ADE, you forgot to remove the "photo courtesy of AMD" phrase.

And, no, I don't wish post a 1-10 score that I can prove wrong in a year. You learn more everyday.


----------



## ADE

Yeah, I got mad cut and paste skill like a level 1, but know people in high places like level 10's...Yeah, I got game.


----------



## ADE

Jet said:


> lol, ADE, you forgot to remove the "photo courtesy of AMD" phrase.



I uhh, umm....I did that on purpose to see if you would see it....Yeah, there's why. I just wanted to see if you know it was there.


----------



## Cromewell

> How many guys here can explain how a CPU does a simple add operation (in depth) ?
> and by saying in depth I mean which registers the CPU is gonna use to do that operation and so on.


That's easy enough, anyone who knows even a little x86 can tell you the general registers that can be used. Same with multiplication and division (integer, floating point is completely different)


----------



## tlarkin

lol

explain to me what an xsan is?  and what it is used for when properly implemented...


----------



## pyvnetrvne.

tlarkin said:


> lol
> 
> explain to me what an xsan is?  and what it is used for when properly implemented...


Pfft. A clustered file system developed by Apple for servers.

Oh, and it's used when a multiple computer enviroment is going to be accessing a single storage volume at one time.


----------



## 34erd

> Yeah, I'm just a #10 like that.


Nah, you're a PC eye


----------



## tlarkin

pyvnetrvne. said:


> Pfft. A clustered file system developed by Apple for servers.
> 
> Oh, and it's used when a multiple computer enviroment is going to be accessing a single storage volume at one time.



well good job, hopefully you didnt have to google it 

I bet a lot of people didnt know about that tho

You forgot about the controllers and the meta data system too, but you still passed


----------



## Shady

Cromewell said:


> That's easy enough, anyone who knows even a little x86 can tell you the general registers that can be used. Same with multiplication and division (integer, floating point is completely different)



You do realize i underlined the word simple for a reason  
I wasn't asking a question.
I didn't say no one knows what happens I was just saying some people don't know how deep they can go.


----------



## pyvnetrvne.

tlarkin said:


> well good job, hopefully you didnt have to google it


I wouldn't bother replying if I didn't know it off the top of my head.


----------



## MadModder

Considering what everyone has said in past posts, I'm probably a .8


----------



## Archangel

Jet said:


> lol, ADE, you forgot to remove the "photo courtesy of AMD" phrase.
> 
> And, no, I don't wish post a 1-10 score that I can prove wrong in a year. You learn more everyday.




right...  if everyone would do that there would be no scores on here at all ^^
with every new hardware release there is again something to learn.. and new hardware is released pretty fast


----------



## tlarkin

ya, um, insert socrates quote here  __________________________________________________________________

It would be relevent to this thread


----------



## Counter - Strike

i am about a 4 - 6


----------



## jp198780

i'd say 7-8...

know most stuff, but still learnin more..


----------



## Bl00dFox

bigsaucybob said:


> I would say 6, because I am more of a hardware expert than a software guy.



Same here.

I f I learnt some programming, Id say 7.
If i learnt complex networking, About 8.


----------



## Burgerbob

bigsaucybob said:


> I would say 6, because I am more of a hardware expert than a software guy.



Same here.


----------



## holyjunk

jp198780 said:


> i'd say 7-8...
> 
> know most stuff, but still learnin more..



I am sorry JP but I just had to post this. Don't mean to offend you. 
http://www.computerforum.com/63069-quad-core-released-2.html


----------



## jp198780

it's ok lol, yeah im not 2 good with todays new technology lol...like i said, im always learning new shit lol..


----------



## TFT

I'm a 7

But every question I'm asked fits into the remainding three


----------



## Emperor_nero

well after reading peoples posts I think that I will rerate my self from a 6ish to a 2ish


----------



## Rambo

holyjunk125 said:


> I am sorry JP but I just had to post this. Don't mean to offend you.
> http://www.computerforum.com/63069-quad-core-released-2.html



LMAO. That's funny...


----------



## Bizmark

I'd say an 7 or an 8. And no, I'm not inflating my score.


----------



## jp198780

Rambo said:


> LMAO. That's funny...



i dont really see nothing hilarious? im not a geek like half the people on here that hang in front of their gaming computer and play stupid games all day, and read shit on when the next best processor is coming out, i do have a life...


----------



## Bizmark

jp198780 said:


> i dont really see nothing hilarious? im not a geek like half the people on here that hang in front of their gaming computer and play stupid games all day, and read shit on when the next best processor is coming out, i do have a life...


It's hilarious that you rate yourself so high yet the knowledge you've demonstrated is nowhere near that.

Oh, and you don't need to be a geek to know your stuff about computers.


----------



## Motoxrdude

Bizmark said:


> I'd say an 7 or an 8. And no, I'm not inflating my score.



And you are very humble about it too.


----------



## StrangleHold

Instead of rating yourself, everybody ought to rate each other!


----------



## Motoxrdude

StrangleHold said:


> Instead of rating yourself, everybody ought to rate each other!



Ok, I rate you a 4/10.


----------



## Emperor_nero

StrangleHold said:


> Instead of rating yourself, everybody ought to rate each other!



sounds good to me!


----------



## StrangleHold

Motoxrdude said:


> Ok, I rate you a 4/10.


----------



## StrangleHold

StrangleHold said:


> Instead of rating yourself, everybody ought to rate each other!


 
After thinking about it I dont know if thats a good idea or not, could start pissing people off that think there smarter than they are


----------



## JamesBart

like 3-4. i use mac aswell so all is good but i could know so much more! still learning!


----------



## Rambo

jp198780 said:


> i dont really see nothing hilarious? im not a geek like half the people on here that hang in front of their gaming computer and play stupid games all day, and read shit on when the next best processor is coming out, i do have a life...



Good. I'm glad you have a life. Just like all the other members on this forum do. 

What I find funny is the confusion you had in that thread. Because it is funny. Well, in my opinion it's funny. And you didn't seem to take offence when *holyjunk125* mentioned it, so I figured it would be ok to laugh too.

Oh, and don't make assumptions that everyone spends most of their time on their PC's. Unless it's backed up by fact, that is...


----------



## pursang

I was going to rate myself at 2 but since I'm just barely on the scale I'll change it to a 1, I'm tremendously faster now that I've learned a few simple tricks, like copy and paste, yes I would actually copy the img and retype it into various forums, which was even more hilarious when you realize the img is longer than the window it appears in, you should have heard the computer tech guy when I told him I had never deleated any files for the first three months I owned my computer hahaha. the important thing for newbies is to take step by step notes and not miss any of the steps in a process


----------



## djcon

53 billion.............

no about a 3 or 4. I can fix issues with computers and know how to install softwear, and hardware..... bbuuutttt I dont know alot of the tech. aspect of computers, I want to learn though.


----------



## Strokes

3 to 4, more than my parents LOL.


----------



## G25r8cer

Id say 5-6, maybe? What do you guys think? I am more into the software side of things but, I know enough about the Hardware side to build my own pc.


----------



## Sir Travis D

4.7724


----------



## lovely?

6. because if the computer is sitting in front of me i know exactly whats wrong when the hardware goes awry. but if its software, my knowledge is pretty limited and nonexistent with code.


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## csmdew

I can build my own and have a degree in comp info so I would say about a 3/4 especially if some of the other guys here are only 5/6 and have 3000+ posts on everything. I can also generally follow tech directions for testing and repairing on stuff I don't know.


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## voyagerfan99

I'd say I'm around a 5. I've built my own system and I can follow directions to get what I need done. I know jack about networking and programming.


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## bomberboysk

Id say around 7-9, im knowledgeable in linux and windows, know how the hardware works, etc. I know minimal about networking, as in, a very small amount.Im pretty good with knowing what is wrong with software and etc, just i suck at coding of any kind, well, i know standard html, etc. Ive grown up around computers, so its been a part of my life from pretty early on.


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## skidude

I'd say a 7 or 8 here.


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## shenry

4-6 I would have to say. Pretty much all of that is from this forum and me experimenting around a little. But on the 1=Word user 5= Bill Gates and 10= Computer Einstein scale I would say around 2-2.75 max.


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## Kill Bill

10- For anything to do with mac 5 to do with windows 0.2 - to do with linux


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## Justin

i'm gonna rate myself a 4.


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## HumanMage

I'd say a solid 5. I've upgraded several  computers in the past, but never built one from the ground up. Also, I've managed to fix several software issues that were on my computer awhile back. I know some stuff, but not alot.


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## Geoff

0.1


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## tlarkin

Kill Bill said:


> 10- For anything to do with mac 5 to do with windows 0.2 - to do with linux



Delusions of grandeur at all?  10?  So you know everything there is to know?

Can you write me a shell script that will partition a hard drive in 3 partitions, with one of them being in windows format so I can load boot camp?

thanks,


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## Kill Bill

tlarkin said:


> Delusions of grandeur at all?  10?  So you know everything there is to know?
> 
> Can you write me a shell script that will partition a hard drive in 3 partitions, with one of them being in windows format so I can load boot camp?
> 
> thanks,



By shell do you want terminal script or a script. also can you tell me how many gb your hdd is and if you want it splitted equally and also do you want after the partitoning to start up boot camp assistant so you can install windows? + What type of mac computer are you on. You will need to have the same boot rom mother board as me. (a 2.5GHz 4,01 MacBook Pro)


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## voyagerfan99

[-0MEGA-];1027931 said:
			
		

> 0.1



Your funny.


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## pies

Id say maybe 5 for hardware but not much about software yet.


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## Calibretto

I'd give myself an 8. I'm not a complete genius but I'm A+ certified and I know what I should know.


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## tlarkin

Kill Bill said:


> By shell do you want terminal script or a script. also can you tell me how many gb your hdd is and if you want it splitted equally and also do you want after the partitoning to start up boot camp assistant so you can install windows? + What type of mac computer are you on. You will need to have the same boot rom mother board as me. (a 2.5GHz 4,01 MacBook Pro)



I was obviously mocking your arrogance at giving yourself a 10 for Mac.  I mean there is so much out there.  Do you even know how to setup open directory or an LDAP?  OS X server uses all of that stuff.

shell script is a terminal script since the terminal is the shell.  It shouldn't matter what type of mac I am on unless you are looking to support legacy machines that use the APM partitioning, but since I am all intel I would need GUID.

You don't need the same boot rom either.  The fact is..........., well..............., you set me up too easy on this one and I am just going to let it slide, but you are definitely not a 10.  No one is, and anyone who claims to be is ignorant.

This thread should have been deleted a long time ago anyway.


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## dean1050

0 !


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## linkin

8 i recon...


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## bkribbs

6 for hardware, 4 for networking, 2 for software/programming

(Most of what I have learned is from here, so thanks.)


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## tlarkin

This thread should honestly be deleted


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## bkribbs

tlarkin said:


> This thread should honestly be deleted



There have definitely been more stupid threads.


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## tyttebøvs

My skills are undefinable on such a small scale


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## Egon

6-7 depending if it's a software or hardware problem. I know how everything hooks up and to check to see if it's compatible or not... But I don't get how the circuits work or what each chip does on hardware.


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## 1337dingo

bout 5-6


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## Respital

About 6-8.

Edit: 

Wow back in 2006;



			
				[-0MEGA-];456149 said:
			
		

> I'd say 8-9.  I can solve pretty much any hardware or software issue when it comes to desktop and laptops.  I'm not as eduacted right now in *networking and servers*, however I am taking courses right now which will educate me more in those areas.



We still don't have a 101 for this.


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## bkribbs

Haha just realized this is a 4 year old thread that has been revived!


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## dwaynep

im gonna have to rate myself 6-7.


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## tlarkin

tyttebøvs said:


> My skills are undefinable on such a small scale



It is a loaded question.  Too broad.  On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest, rate your overall computer knowledge/skills.  This includes everything a computer can be used for, including embedded systems.

This thread is ridiculous and funny at the same time.


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## salvage-this

If you take in consideration of everything about computers?... 2/3  there is so much out there.


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## mihir

I would rate myself 3 when I registered on CF and now I would say 5.
I can fix many hardware issues and also I know C/C++ Java BASIC a bit of Dot.net.
and can also fix some minor software issues but get pretty pissed if nothing happens after  scans I just Format my PC


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## Binkstir

Even though I've built computers for a driving and flight sim company as an outside contractor, I give myself a 5-6. I'll can fix whatever problem may arise with a computer but I may need to surf the web a bit for the answer

Binkstir


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## fastdude

mihir said:


> I would rate myself 3 when I registered on CF and now I would say 5.
> I can fix many hardware issues and also I know C/C++ Java BASIC a bit of Dot.net.
> and can also fix some minor software issues but get pretty pissed if nothing happens after  scans I just Format my PC



I would say I was about a 3.5 when I registered, now I'd say I'm a about a 6, I know quite a bit about hardware, and I'm (slowly) learning how to program in C++ 

I am good at self-teaching


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## R2D3

[-0MEGA-];456149 said:
			
		

> I'd say 8-9.  I can solve pretty much any hardware or software issue when it comes to desktop and laptops.  I'm not as eduacted right now in networking and servers, however I am taking courses right now which will educate me more in those areas.




Ok well if your that knowledgable ith computer m8, could you help me out on this one?

http://www.computerforum.com/178898...-up-again-idont-know-what-do.html#post1496870


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## R2D3

@@ [OMEGA]

...and i just noticed your from NH, same HERE


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## Mez

I'd say about a 6-7, im good with parts and building, but I can't do anything when it comes to Registry errors, or error notices...


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## mtb211

5


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## Matthew1990

10 I OWN YOU ALL!!!!! HAHAAHHAHA!!!!(Maniac laughter btw)


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## Shane

Major thread bump or what


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## CareyS

I would say about 3-4. I am self taught. But im not good with Linux/Ubuntu, But im not to good with Mac since I don't really have one. And therefore I don't have a way to study a mac. lol


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## mihir

this thread is funny and really really useless.
You give yourself a rating for which others dont judge you and also high enough same reason.


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