Optimizing a desktop computer and explaining its virtues to at-risk high school students?

[email protected]: Optimizing a desktop computer and explaining its virtues to at-risk high school students?
It seems on the consumer side of the equation, computers are not used to their full capabilities. Computer specs go into great detail with benchmark ratings to power, capacity, speed and so forth. How best can a layman understand the specs? More importantly, what do you do to maximize use of your computer to its fullest capacity? Let’s assume it is rated 2 giga hertz.
Thank you so very much.

Answers and Views:

Answer by Computer Repair Guy
To fully utilize the power of ones computer, including unused CPU cycles, there are projects like CPU share and folding@home.

The layman can best understand CPUs by analogy, although it depends on the person. Some will best understand a computers’ power by making an analogy to an automobile and engine; others would best understand an analogy to the human mind.