Komando: Intel Core i7 processes at top speed

Q: I enjoying watching your radio show on TVKim.com. On a recentshow, you were discussing budget computers, but I am in the marketfor a better computer. Is an Intel Core i7 or AMD Phenom IIprocessor better for a high-end system?

A: AMD makes excellent, cost-effective processors. But for purehigh-end speed, Intel is the way to go. The Core i7 is blazing fast.It should be up for any task you throw at it. The newest version issuperb at handling video. It's good for both watching and editingvideos. The latest Intel Core processors are numbered as the 2000series. You'll still find the older versions that carry three-digitversion numbers. For a high-end, long-term system you definitelywant the newer version.

Q: My health provider is switching to electronic medical records.I've heard that those are more secure than traditional records. Isthat true?

A: Yes and no. Traditional records generally don't have very highsecurity. A thief after your specific information could probablysteal it. But traditional records are hard to steal en masse.They're just too bulky. The security of electronic records varies byhealth provider. Some do a good job, and some don't. But it is moreserious when a data breach does occur. Hundreds or thousands ofdigital files can be stolen at once. I recommend asking yourprovider how it protects the security of your medical records.

Q: I just got a new MacBook Pro. The Apple employee said you cando gestures with the trackpad. What does that mean?

A: The new MacBook trackpads have multitouch support. This letsyou use multiple fingers to perform special operations. Two-fingerscrolling is one I commonly use. Just drag two fingers up and downthe trackpad to scroll pages. It's like using the scroll wheel on amouse. You can also try the four-finger swipe. Swipe four fingersdownward to open Expose. You can then swipe right or left with fourfingers to move between programs. Swipe up with four fingers to exitExpose. Visit the Trackpad section of System Preferences to learnmore supported gestures. Open System Preferences by clicking theApple menu.

Q: Both Firefox and Thunderbird are made by the same company.What is the difference?

A: Firefox is a Web browser like Internet Explorer or Safari.It's what you use to visit websites. It displays text, photos,video, audio and interactive animations on Web pages. Plus, ithandles security for things like online banking. Thunderbird is anemail program. An email program's main purpose is to manage email.It retrieves email from a remote server so you can read it. And itlets you create new email and send it. Email programs can also havefeatures like address books and calendars. Visit Komando.com/news todownload Firefox and Thunderbird for free.

Q: My Blu-ray player's manufacturer just sent me a firmwareupdate disc. What is firmware? Should I install it?

A: Firmware is a specific type of software. It directly interactswith digital hardware. Other software, like an operating system,sits on top of the firmware. Every digital gadget has firmware.Firmware updates shouldn't be taken lightly. A mistake could wreckyour gadget. However, updating firmware can add new features and fixfundamental security problems. If a manufacturer requests that youupdate, I would do so. There is probably a good reason. But ingeneral, don't upgrade firmware if your gadget is working fine.

Contact Kim Komando at C1Tech@gannett.com.