Tips on buying a computer
First Steps
Before beginning your search for your new computer:
· Decide if you want a desktop PC or laptop (desktop PCs are more powerful
but laptops are portable)
· Decide how much approximately you want to spend
· Decide what you will be using the PC for (you won’t need a particularly
powerful system if you’re only going to browse the Web and send e-mails)
· Read some computer buying advice magazines such as What PC?, PC
Advisor and Personal Computer World
· Talk to friends, relatives and colleagues about where they bought their PCs
from and their experiences
Where To Buy From
High-street stores may seem the most obvious place for first-time PC buyers but although they do offer some advantages (such as being able to see and touch example PCs and get an idea of the size of the screen) they are not always good value and you may find yourself spending more than you need to.
Often the sales person will also try to sell you warranty packages. These may provide some peace of mind, including things like health checks and repairs, but if you look after your PC and keep your security software up-to-date, you will most likely never use the service and will have paid a lot of extra money for nothing.
You could try small local computer shops who can often put together a PC package to suit your exact needs, though you may find the price a lot higher than the standard packages offered by high-street stores. For first-time buyers a standard package often seems far simpler than trying to figure out the specific types of components you need.
Buying online is often the best option; though obviously you need to find some way of getting on the Internet (on a friend’s PC or at your local library) and then begin the process of searching for online stores and comparing packages and prices. As with any large purchase you make, you will want to be cautious and have all the facts in front of you before you make a decision.
What to look for
Often when reading about PC packages you will be confronted with a huge list of
specifications which will mean nothing to you if you don’t have much knowledge of computer hardware. Some companies may try to confuse you with technical details, hoping that by mentioning large enough numbers you will think the PC is better than it really is.
Computer specifications change all the time, and your needs will determine what sizeor speed components are appropriate for you. The following is a general guide with some tips on what to look for:
· Monitor – it is important to check this is mentioned as although this may seem
like an essential part of a PC system, some packages may not include one.
TFT (Flat Panel) monitors are common nowadays because of how thin they
are compared to the old bulky CRT monitors. When buying a monitor you
want the highest resolution, which will give a more detailed and sharper
picture. A resolution of 1280×1024 should be fine for most users. Response
time is also important – the lower the number, the better.
· Keyboard / Mouse – all desktop PCs should include these and there is often
little difference between the various models. One thing to note is that some
have more than just the left and right buttons on the Mouse – they often also
include a Wheel in the center which can be a useful addition. Nowadays you
can also get wireless keyboards and mice. If you want to use a mouse with
your laptop you may need to buy it separately, as many laptops use a touch
pad system instead of a mouse.
· Floppy Disk Drive – once a standard for all PCs, these are now increasingly
rare so decide if you need one. Floppy disks have very small storage space and
are not really big enough for most files you will work with. CDs, DVDs and
data devices are more suitable for modern data storage and backup purposes.
· Tower Unit – the shell of the desktop PC contains all the components which
make your system work including the processor, memory and Hard Disk. You
should check how many USB ports are included, as you will need one for each
peripheral you connect such as scanners and printers.
· Processor – the heart of your PC, this is the engine that powers your computer
and processes all the instructions it is given, therefore you want it to be as fast
as possible. The higher the processor speed (in Ghz) the faster your PC should
be. Examples are Intel Pentium or Celeron, and AMD Athlon or Sempron.
· RAM – the temporary memory the computer uses to do its calculations. The
more RAM you have, the faster and more efficient your programs will run.
Look for at least 512 MB of RAM.
· Hard Disk – where all your programs and data are stored. As usual, more is
better. At least 60GB or more will be needed to store lots of music, games or
movie files. You may see packages with huge amounts of hard disk space -
this is because it is a fairly cheap way of making a package sound better, when
really most users will never need that much disk space.
· Graphics Card – handles video and display calculations. A more powerful
card means better quality video graphics and smooth-running games. The most
popular cards are the NVidia GeForce and ATI Radeon series. Another thing
to note is that the graphics card also has its own RAM memory, and again the
more the better.
· Sound Card – most PCs should include decent enough sound for playing
music or video, but you can opt for better quality sound cards such as the
Creative Audigy series which will improve sound quality and performance in
movies and demanding games.
· Speakers – 2 normal desktop speakers should be fine for most users, but
games players may want to invest in larger set-ups such as 5.1 (5 small
Satellite speakers and 1 large Sub-Woofer to handle the bass sounds).
· CD/DVD-ROM Drive – plays CDs/DVDs including data discs, music CDs
and film DVDs. The higher the speed, the faster files will be loaded from disc
though it will depend on the maximum speed permitted by the disc itself.
‘16x’, for example, means it can transfer data from the disc at 16 times the
normal playing speed.
· CD/DVD R/RW Writer/Burner Drive – as with CD/DVD-ROM Drives but
also able to write or ‘burn’ discs as well as read them. This way you can create
your own data, music or video discs, especially useful for backing up large
amounts of data. There are two main categories of writeable discs : Recordable
discs such as CD-R or DVD-R or DVD+R are discs that can only be written
once and Re-Writeable discs such as CD-RW or DVD-RW or DVD+RW can
be written over many times like a blank video cassette.
· Internet Access – many packages come with free Internet trials, but you can
choose a different provider if you find a better deal. To access the Internet
from home you will need to connect your PC to your phone line. There should
be instructions with your PC how to do this. There are many different Internet
packages available, and with some you will need to buy additional equipment.
To learn more, contact an ISP(Internet Service Provider) or visit their web site.
· Wireless Internet – PCs and especially laptops may come with built-in
wireless support, to allow you to connect to any wireless Internet networks
within range. If not, wireless adapters can be bought separately.
You can usually replace and upgrade your PC components in the future if you decide you need more memory or a faster graphics card, for example.
Web Sites Selling PCs
The following is a list of a few of the web sites you can buy PCs from:
· http://www.alienware.com
· http://www.dabs.com
· http://www.dell.com
· http://www.evesham.com
· http://www.fujitsu-siemens.com
· http://www.meshcomputers.com
