Using a Spreadsheet to do Computer Comparisons

CS 102 W3-TechAssignment B

NAME: ___________________________ Score: _______ / 100

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to use Office 365 Excel to compare
multiple computers to determine the best value. We will extract the information
from the sales information provided and use spreadsheet calculations and graphs to
demonstrate the difference in values. This assignment also provides a real-word
usage of the topics from Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 6.

Deliverables:
 Once you have completed the Assignment
1. Save your work
2. Check you have completed all the tasks (Highlighting the tasks
completed helps)
3. Download the Spreadsheet part of the assignment
4. Download the Word Document part of the assignment
5. Open and Check the File for accuracy
6. Upload the Spreadsheet file to the assignment’s dropbox.
7. Upload the Word file to the assignment’s dropbox.

Technology used in this tutorial:

 Office 365 Spreadsheet is used to create the comparisons using formulas and
graphs
 Spreadsheet Formulas

 Spreadsheet conditional formatting

 Spreadsheet Charts and Graphs

 Using a Spreadsheet to do Computer Comparisons
CS 102 W3-TechAssignment B

 Use Web Search techniques if needed to find how to do these functions in

Excel
o Numeric Format
o Conditions formatting
o Min and Max Formulas
o 2D Bar Chart
o 2D Column Chart

Assignment:

We must decide which computer to buy when presented with multiple options. We
are usually limited by a dollar amount and there is usually more the one choice for
that dollar limit. So, it is our task to get the most value in the choice computer’s
specification for that same amount of money. In order to accomplish this task, we
must collect the specification information for each of the computers components
and then compare each of the components to determine the best. We then look at
the sum of all the parts to make our decision.

1) The comparison will include the following using the appropriate terms:
o Manufacturer details (Name and Model)
o OS (Manufactures, Version and Word Size)
o Primary Storage (Type and Size)
o Secondary Storage (Type and Capacity)
o Processor (Speed and Number of Processors)
o Display Specifications (Type, Size and Quality)
o Input and Output Ports (Video, Audio,
o Wireless and Wired Networking Capabilities

2) Download the partially completed spreadsheet from the assignment

description

3) Download and open the three PDFs of the computers to compare

o Dell Optiplex 5250 - Dell_OptiPlex_5250_TigerDirect.com.pdf
o HP_Pavilion_24-B240_TigerDirect.com
o HP PROONE 400 G3 -HP_SMART_BUY PROONE_400_G3_at_TigerDirect.com
 Using a Spreadsheet to do Computer Comparisons
CS 102 W3-TechAssignment B

4) Open the Spreadsheet to enter the data from the sales information
o Computer 1, Dell Optiplex 5250, has been entered for you
o 5pts Enter the data from Computer 2 HP_Pavilion_24-B240
o 5pts Enter the data from Computer 3 HP PROONE 400 G3

5) Once Data is complete continue

o 6pts Use Conditional Formatting>> Color Scale to highlight the price
with the lowest value GREEN and the Highest RED
 Example:

o 30pts Use Conditional Formatting>> Color Scale to highlight these

with the Highest value GREEN and the Lowest RED
 OS Word Size (bits)
 RAM Size (GB)
 Screen Size (inches)
 Processor Speed (GHz)
 Hard Drive Capacity (GB)
 Power Supply Watts

 Example:
 Using a Spreadsheet to do Computer Comparisons
CS 102 W3-TechAssignment B

o 28pts Use Formulas to calculate the Min and Max values of:
 Price
 OS Word Size (bits)
 RAM Size (GB)
 Screen Size (inches)
 Processor Speed (GHz)
 Hard Drive Capacity (GB)
 Power Supply Watts

 Example (Display)

 Example (Showing Formulas)

o 4pts to format the prices in dollars

 Using a Spreadsheet to do Computer Comparisons
CS 102 W3-TechAssignment B

o 12pts Create two Graphs to display RAM Size (GB) and Screen Size
(Inches):
 Create Column Chart for RAM Size (GB)
 Hint: Create chart with selected data and header. After
Chart is created you need to change Axis Label Names
 Examples

 Create Bar Chart for Screen Size (Inches)

6) Check and Save Your work as filename your_name_ComputerCompare.xlsx

o Example: Jane_Doe_ComputerCompare.xlsx

7) 10pts Create a Word Document as your_name_ComputerCompare.docx

 Example: Jane_Doe_ComputerCompare.docx
o Write a paragraph explanation of the choice you made and how you
made that choice based on the component analysis.

8) Check and Save Your work

Go to top in Deliverables:Error: Reference source not found section for submission

instructions
 Using a Spreadsheet to do Computer Comparisons
CS 102 W3-TechAssignment B
References
Available chart types in Office. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://support.office.com:
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Available-chart-types-in-Office-
a6187218-807e-4103-9e0a-27cdb19afb90

Change axis labels in a chart. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://support.office.com:

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Change-axis-labels-in-a-chart-
1C32436B-FB12-450B-AEFA-CC7E4584456A

Cheusheva, S. (2018, April 28). Customizing Excel charts: add chart title, axes,
legend, data labels and more. Retrieved from https://www.ablebits.com:
https://www.ablebits.com/office-addins-blog/2015/10/29/excel-charts-title-
axis-legend/

MAX function. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://support.office.com:

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/MAX-function-E0012414-9AC8-
4B34-9A47-73E662C08098

MIN function. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://support.office.com:

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/MIN-function-61635D12-920F-4CE2-
A70F-96F202DCC152

Present your data in a column chart. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://support.office.com: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Present-
your-data-in-a-column-chart-D89050BA-E6B6-47DE-B090-E9AB353C4C00

Quick start: Apply conditional formatting. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://support.office.com: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Quick-
start-Apply-conditional-formatting-6B6F7C2A-5D62-45A1-8F67-
584A76776D67