← ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8

Comparing two devices in a spec table

A table with one row per spec for two devices. Mark the better device in each row that matters to the task, ignore the rest, and spot each device's weakest part.

Part of: ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Hardware and Performance — Module 31

Understanding Comparing two devices in a spec table in ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8

What it does: The row is still listed, but no device is marked better because colour does not affect how well the device does the task. A spec comparison table has one row per spec (RAM, storage, CPU and so on) so you can compare Device A and Device B on the same line. More RAM lets a device keep more tabs and apps open at once, so 16 GB beats 8 GB for this task. Essay writing needs very little graphics power. Specs that do not matter to the task can be ignored, even if one device wins that row. The weakest part is the spec most likely to hold back performance for the task, like a tiny 4 GB RAM in a device used for video editing.

Common mistakes: Video editing benefits from more cores, so the device with 8 cores (B) is better. The row should end with | B. The two RAM values must use the same unit to compare fairly. 16MB is far smaller than 4GB, so it should be 16GB.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 13–40) and word search (Modules 13–68).

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Learning
Duo
You are comparing two laptops in a spec table. How should the table be laid out?
One row per device, with all the specs squashed into one cellOne row per spec, with both devices side by side
Matches
RAM and Cores | 8 GB, 4 | 16 GB, 8 | B
↓
Two specs are squeezed into one row. A spec table needs one row per spec.
Applying
Meanings
Term
spec comparison table
Meaning
A table with one row per spec for two devices. Mark the better device in each row that matters to the task, ignore the rest, and spot each device's weakest part.
Practice
Task: edit school videos
Testing
Gaps
RAM | A: 8 GB | B: 16 GB | Better:
Check Answer
Spots
2RAM | 8GB | 16GB | B
3Cores | 4 | 8 | A

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Quick Questions

1. You are comparing two laptops in a spec table. How should the table be laid out?
A. One row per device, with all the specs squashed into one cell
B. One row per spec, with both devices side by side ✓
A spec comparison table has one row per spec (RAM, storage, CPU and so on) so you can compare Device A and Device B on the same line.
2. Your friend wants a phone mainly for taking photos and videos. Which spec row matters MOST to mark as better or worse?
A. The colour of the phone case
B. Camera quality and storage size ✓
Only mark the specs that matter to the task. Photos and videos need a good camera and plenty of storage. Case colour does not affect the task.
3. Laptop A has 8 GB RAM and Laptop B has 16 GB RAM. The task is running many browser tabs. What do you mark in the RAM row?
A. Laptop B is better in this row ✓
B. Laptop A is better in this row
More RAM lets a device keep more tabs and apps open at once, so 16 GB beats 8 GB for this task.
4. The task is writing school essays. Laptop A has a better GPU, but both laptops have the same CPU, RAM and storage. What should you do with the GPU row?
A. Ignore it, because it does not matter much for essays ✓
B. Mark Laptop A as the winner because it has the better GPU
Essay writing needs very little graphics power. Specs that do not matter to the task can be ignored, even if one device wins that row.
5. Which statement describes the weakest part of a device?
A. The spec that is lowest compared with what the task needs ✓
B. The spec that has the longest name in the table
The weakest part is the spec most likely to hold back performance for the task, like a tiny 4 GB RAM in a device used for video editing.

Match the Pairs

RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | B → One row for one spec. It shows both devices' values and marks Device B as better because it has more RAM.
Weakest part: A = 64 GB storage → Names the part that holds Device A back the most for the task, which is its weakest part.
Ignore specs that do not matter for the task, such as colour when choosing a laptop for homework → Colour | Blue | Red | ignore
Mark the better device in a row that matters. For battery life, more hours is better. → Battery | 10 h | 6 h | A
RAM and Cores | 8 GB, 4 | 16 GB, 8 | B → Two specs are squeezed into one row. A spec table needs one row per spec.
Storage | 256 GB | 512 GB | A → The wrong device is marked as better. Device B has more storage, so B should be marked.

Key Term

spec comparison table
A table with one row per spec for two devices. Mark the better device in each row that matters to the task, ignore the rest, and spot each device's weakest part.

Fill in the Blanks

1. Task: editing videos RAM | A: 8 GB | B: 16 GB | Better: B
Hint: Type the letter of the device that wins this row for the task.
2. Task: typing essays Colour | A: Blue | B: Red | Better: ignore
Hint: Type the word that means this spec does not matter for the task.
3. Task: editing photos A: CPU 4 GHz, RAM 4 GB, SSD 512 GB Weakest of A: RAM
Hint: Type the name of the spec that holds device A back for this task.
4. Task: carrying in a bag Weight | A: 1.3 kg | B: 2.4 kg | Better: A
Hint: Type the letter of the device that wins this row. Think about whether a bigger or smaller number is better here.
5. IF ramB > ramA THEN better = "B"
Hint: Type the comparison operator that checks if B has more RAM than A.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A Task: video editing
B RAM | 8GB | 16GB | B
C Cores | 4 | 8 | A
D Weakest A: RAM
Line C — Video editing benefits from more cores, so the device with 8 cores (B) is better. The row should end with | B.
Question 2
A Task: browsing with many tabs
B RAM | 4GB | 16MB | B
C Weakest A: RAM
Line B — The two RAM values must use the same unit to compare fairly. 16MB is far smaller than 4GB, so it should be 16GB.
Question 3
A Task: carrying to school
B Weight | 2.2kg | 1.1kg | A
C Battery | 8h | 6h | A
Line B — For carrying around, lighter is better. The 1.1kg device is B, so the row should end with | B.
Question 4
A Spec | A | B
B RAM | 8GB | 16GB | B
C Storage | 256GB | 512GB | B
Line A — The table needs a Better column so each row can mark the winning device. The header should be Spec | A | B | Better.
Question 5
A Task: photo editing
B RAM | 16GB | 8GB | A
C Screen | 13in | 15in | B
D Weakest A: RAM
Line D — Device A wins the RAM row, so RAM is not its weakest part. It loses on screen size, so the line should be Weakest A: screen.

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