Computer Buyers Guide
Buyers Help Guide For Conferences There are two important questions that must be answered before settling on a specific computer to purchase: 1. What will I use the computer for (now and in the future)? 2. What is my budget?
The Basic System Insides There are a few components that every computer you consider must have so it is important to understand their purpose and how this will affect the performance of the computer you buy. The Processor or CPU The processor is the component that performs virtually all of the computation and controls the behaviour of most of the other devices. The most common processors are Intel's Pentium and Celeron family and AMD's Athlon and Duron. The crudest measure of a processor's power is its "clock speed", given in Megahertz (MHz) or Gigahertz (GHz, 1GHz = 1000MHz). These are the figures that will appear in advertisements. Generally speaking, the faster the clock speed, the faster the computer will be. The highest speed processors available at any time tend to be disproportionately expensive, so people tend to buy a slightly lower spec system.
Memory or RAM RAM stands for Random Access Memory. It's fast memory that the computer uses to temporarily store information for the tasks it is performing. When you first switch on (boot) your beast, you are automatically in RAM, so naturally when it switches off, you lose everything, so ensure you save whatever to that hard disk! So what is memory? All computers require it (otherwise they'd be pretty useless) and this is where the work gets done. For example, when creating documents in an application, say MS Word, this uses up a certain amount of memory. Once information is there, the processor doesn't need to access it again unless you're working with that document. Your drives provide long-term memory storage (a database) for that information. Then when you need it again, just select the correct disk/document/program etc, and you can continue working. But this is most important, when you use up your PC's disk space, your computer will slow down, the C drive fills up very quickly and when adding things like Norton anti-virus and Firewalls, it will stop you from opening up more windows - so this is when you need more RAM chips. 128mb is the minimum, but I would suggest you get at least 512mb, if you can afford it.
Hard Drive Windows job is to manage all that information you will store. All those pictures of your dog, word documents, the attempt at that novel, well it has to be put somewhere. Your PC has three types of disk drive. You use them for storing stuff. They store the operating system, programs and all the other great many things you create on your computer. Storing something to a disk drive and disk means to save it on a drive in your machine. Basically the drive is a big circlular disk, made up of tracks (think of vinal records) and each track is represented by a circular line. Each line holds a certain amount of memory - that's it. And believe me - the C drive is massive. To find your drives Open the My Computer icon on the desktop. (Click the icon twice) A window now appears and lists all your drives. Drive A. This is your PC's floppy disk drive Drive C. This is your PC's biggy - the main drive. Your machine will also have a hard drive D and even E, and if so, they will be displayed too. CD-ROM. If you have a high spec model, you should have a DVD/CD ROM drive, where you can ‘burn' (copy) from one CD to another. Plus you can always play DVD movies too, but the PC DVD players can be a bit dodgy, and fail to work, so if your into films, get a cheap DVD player instead.
Monitors Get a large one! Just make sure it's large, but basically it's just a screen really, kind of like a face that stares at you. If you get a large screen, you can view more stuff - more pretty graphics, more of a web page etc. Oh yeah, get a large one. There are now 2 types of monitor. The desktop and the flatscreen. Er, the large old style desktop ones attract loads of Gunk, and dust etc, and you'll need a crane to lift it when you clean. The other ‘Flatscreen' type is nice and cool and ahhhhhhhh. Graphics Card The purpose of a graphics card is to present information in a visual form on the monitor of the computer. The specification of the graphics card will affect the resolution that can be displayed on the monitor and the "refresh rate" of the display. The refresh rate is the number of times per-second that the screen is re-drawn - a high refresh rate produces a flicker free display. Do I need a Powerful Processor? IBM compatibles come with a choice of processor types (usually Pentium/Celeron or Athlon/Duron). New machines contain a processor that is usually greater than 700MHz and can be up to about 2GHz at this time. The faster the processor chip - the faster your PC will work for you. You'll find a standard speed processor okay for office work, but you'll want a Pentium 4 at least for playing games and sound functions.
Extra Stuff for Your PC
PC's can expand like you wouldn't believe. Extra hardware such as mice, scanners, modems, external drives or microphones are easy to connect and give obvious benefits. Most people don't buy a new car when something needs replacing and the computer world allows us to increase the performance of our machines without the expense of shelling out for a brand new system.
So the key question is where do you spend that cash on first?
Memory: Your first upgrading priority needs to be memory. It's quite cheap to do, and most of your programs will enjoy the extra power.
o More memory makes programs work faster and handles larger information easier
o More memory is the best thing you can buy. Your PC likes that.
Hard Drive: Buy a second hard drive. Once you start using the PC and saving work, you ‘ll be surprised at how fast a hard drive's space gets used up.
So buy a large one, because by the time you need it, you should know exactly how many Mega Bytes of space you'll need.
CPU (Microprocessor): Er, I wouldn't bother upgrading the beast, as the chip is so expensive, that you may as well buy a complete system for what you'll be charged for a processor chip. Plus you'll get all the top end neat technology stuff when you pay for a new PC anyway, so you're better off doing that.
The Monitor: Buy a big one, 21 inch jobbies are good. You can see lot's of information at once, the poor old 15 inch ones don't cut it anymore I'm afraid.
Thing about PC's is that once you start using the better features, you'll wonder how you ever did things without them, and it's fun having the most powerful beast on the block.
Typical Computer Types
There are a few types available, but you'll likely want a laptop or notebook portable one for your conference. These are now very upgradable, but due to their size - they are a bit more pricey, but worth it as they are portable.
Desktops vs Laptops The major advantage of a laptop is it's portability. If you travel a lot, then consider choosing one with a long battery life, fast recharge and high use time. The main disadvantage of a laptop is that it is usually a lower specification for a given price but the upgrading is very good and powerful enough to do most things on the move.
If you really have your heart set on a desktop then I recommend a Mini-tower.
Mini Towers are the most popular, as they are small enough to actually sit on a desk/table.
(warning about Extended Guarantees)
New computers will come with a manufacturer's warranty, which is usually for 12 months. But many retailers will offer you an extended guarantee. The cover provided varies from retailer to retailer, but basically extends the manufacturer's one.
But there are problems with these. For one they are only for 2 years and two, they cost at least 50% of the price of a new PC. So you're probably looking at about £400 for this guarantee.
When retailers say "this gives you 3 years cover" it doesn't. You actually get the 1 year from the manufacturer, and an additional 2 from the retailer, but the sales assistant will try and convince you that what they are offering (the retailer) is 3 years from them, so they basically lie to your face.
Just be aware that they will do and say anything to get their commission and reach the store's monthly target. Also computers are pretty stable, reliable things as far as hardware is concerned, and rarely go wrong. I've had mine for 3 years, going on 4, and never had to replace anything due to faulty parts or failure. And although it's a little slower compared to newer technology, it still does the job well.
Software - Do I really need loads of it? This rather depends on your personal or business needs. I run a business, which deals with a great deal of record keeping and information processing, so I can actually get away with what was originally provided in the package, but others may not so it just depends. But I will say this though, don't buy tons of software on impulse, as you'll have to learn each program, and that's a tall order for anyone.
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David is a computer sales expert and professional writer of computer related articles.
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Written by: David
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