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When buying a new computer, it's easy to become confused by the sheer volume of technical decisions that you'll have to make. Well, you might wonder how much RAM you'll need, for instance, which processor to choose or which graphics card to pick, what
display to look for, which hard drive will be best for you?
There are many issues that it's difficult to know where to begin, the choices on offer,
And that's to forget about the low-level technical specifications, and fine details like the brand of graphics card just for the
moment and instead concentrate on something much more fundamental and important: what you will be expecting your
system to do.
HOW TO GET A GOOD COMPUTER
#1 check your budget.
Net-books can be found for less than $200, while high-end gaming and graphics-processing computers can run into the $2000 range. Balance your needs versus your available budget.
#2 What do you need the computer for.
The main functionality of your computer will dictate the kind of computer that you need. By pinning down the role of your computer early, you can save yourself some serious money down the line.
Will you be using the computer mainly to
•check email and browse the web?
•Are you planning on doing a significant
amount of office work on your computer?
•Do you enjoy games and plan on
spending most of your computer time
playing the latest and greatest game releases?
•Are you an artist,musician or Dj? Do you anticipate using the computer to create
images, musical beat or videos?
#3 Compare Apple to a Windows PC.
A lot of this comes down to personal preference. If your business runs mainly Mac computers,
having a Mac at home can make work more
convenient. Apple computers are typically
more expensive than an equally powerful
Windows PC, and Windows PCs can run way
more games than an Apple computer (though
more and more games are coming out for
Mac as well).
Apple computers are preferred for
musicians and artists, as they typically
run content creation programs much
more efficiently than a Windows PC.
Linux is an alternate Operating System
that is free from costs, copyrights, and
viruses. If you are buying a computer
with Linux, look out for a System76.
Ubuntu is a good distribution to start
with.
#4 Research the basic computer components.
When it comes time to start
shopping around, it will be useful to know
what the basic pieces are so that you can
make good comparisons.
Hard disk – This is the storage for your
computer. Storage is measured in
gigabytes (GB). All of your documents,
programs, photos, videos, and music will
use this space. In general, the more
storage, the better, though average users
can easily get by with 500 GB.
RAM/Memory – This is specialized
storage that programs use to keep
temporary information. If you don’t have
enough RAM, you’ll find programs
running sluggishly or even crashing. 4 GB
is a good baseline number for RAM,
though gamers and graphics designers
will want at least double that.
CPU – This is the computer’s processor,
and what makes your computer run.
There are two major manufacturers –
Intel and AMD. AMD is typically a little
cheaper than Intel for comparable
performance, at the cost of some quality
and support. Be sure to research which
CPU you are planning to purchase, as the
market changes frequently.
Video card – If you aren’t running games
or doing 3D development, you most likely
won’t need to worry about your graphics
card. If you’re a gaming enthusiast,
however, then the video card is a crucial
component of the computer.
#5 Decide between a laptop or a desktop.
Laptops are portable, and are great for
students or office workers, but they are
typically less than stellar when it comes to
gaming. Desktops are typically much more
powerful than laptops, but can also end up
more expensive. They also take up
significantly more space than a laptop.
Ask yourself how tied down you want to
be to a desk. Laptops will allow you to
work from virtually anywhere that you
can charge or get a Wi-Fi internet
connection.
If choosing a laptop, pay attention to the
advertised battery life, as your battery will
dictate how mobile your laptop can be.