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Updated September 01, 2003 Level: Beginner ================================ Items Covered in this document ================================ • What to look for • Duped • Processor • RAM • Hard Drive • Video Card • Monitor • Modem • CD-R / CD-RW • CD-Rom • Motherboards • Audio • Speakers • Removable Media • Keyboard • Mouse/Trackball • USB • Case • Power Protection • Software • Printer/Scanner Bundles • Warranty • Vendors to Trust... and Avoid
What to look for:
• What features are important, based on your profile. • What you may need and not need for your new computer. Processor: The processor is the brain of the computer. Processors are designated by a name and a speed rating. For instance, a "Pentium 4 3,200 MHz" is a Pentium 4 processor with a speed rating of 3,200 megahertz (MHz). The higher the megahertz, the faster the PC. The Intel corporation makes the most famous line of processors, called the Pentium. The current incarnation is the Pentium 4. I say go for the Pentium 4 if you can. If you are on a moderate budget, a fast Pentium III is your best bet. (discontinued line) While these were the cream of the crop a few years ago, they have become the bargain-hunter's best friend. For instance, a 1,800 to 2,000 MHz Pentium III will make a fantastic computer, at a very reasonable price. -- These will only be avalable secondhand now ;o( RAM: RAM is the memory that the computer uses internally to run the programs. The more RAM you have, the better your computer will operate. 512 megabytes is the absolute minimum you should purchase in your new computer "No If's, or but's". This is an area to splurge in! A high-end machine will typically come with 1 GIG of RAM or more. I recon you can never have too much Ram. Hard Drive: The hard drive stores the information and programs in your computer. Hard drives are measured in gigabytes (GB), and the bigger the better. Your new machine should come with nothing less than a 40 GB. Hard drive space is getting cheaper and cheaper, so we recommend 40 GB for the average user, 80-100 GB the the advanced user. A standard speed for hard drives was 5400rpm but see if you can get the 7200rpm or even 10,000rpm in a SCSI drive. Mind you, I recon SCSI hard drives are over rated in this day and age, I think most of the IDE hard drives are great value for money, and speed is only a little higher for such an obscene amount of money difference. Stick with an IDE hard drive. Video Card: Video cards offer tons of features. You can purchase video cards that let you edit your home videos, or display your computer screen on your TV. There are video cards that let you view DVD movies on your computer screen (if you have a DVD-ROM drive). There are 3D video cards that let you step right into the latest games. If your a gamer or video editing buff, jump at the chance to get the latest greatest card. However! Be ready for a BIG price. Monitor: The most overlooked part of a computer purchase, and yet one of the most important in terms of how enjoyable your computing experience is. Try not to buy any monitor that is less than 15" diagonally, which gives you almost 14" of actual viewing space. Our recommendation is to buy the biggest monitor you can afford. 17" is great for the average person. but a 19" monitor is better. If you have extra money in your budget, this is a crucial area to splurge in. If you can affod it, buy a flat-panel screen, prices are coming down all the time. Modem: There's only one possible choice here -- your new computer should have a 56K modem installed. Nothing lower is acceptable. 56K modems are now retailing for less than $40... Of course, if you have a high-speed Internet connection like "Foxtel" at home, you may not need a standard modem at all. GO FOR BROADBAND!!! CD-RW / CD-RW: Not much to say here because DVD is the way to go. Plus, make sure you get a recordable DVD drive. DVD-R drives allow you to record information to a DVD, but only once per disc. Better are the DVD-RW drives, which allow you to record information on a DVD over and over. DVD-RWs are the perfect backup solution for large backups and copying -- This is highly recommended! CD-Rom or CD-RW: I wouldn't bother about getting either! Only go for a CD-Rom or CD-RW if your trying to save yourself about 20 bucks or less... (and if you are quibbling about $20 you don't need to purchace a computer anyway). Anyway! here is a little info about the CD-Rom. and CD-RW. There is a lot of misinformation about CD-ROM drives. Their speed is rated in how fast they spin the CD. However, once you pass a certain threshold, the increase in spin time really doesn't add much to overall performance. The lowest speed you should get is 36x. However, our recommendation is not to pay extra for anything over the 50x (plus) speed threshold. Motherboards: This is a tricky one but ABIT is known for their stable and very feature oriented based motherboards. They have been in the top position competing with Asus for a long time now. I have always been a big fan of ABIT products as they have continually made solid and reliable boards. They have now expanded into the multimedia and graphics field where they have also showning great promise with those products. Try to get the latest board from ABIT. Audio: If you are an audiophile or a rabid game player, you should purchase a PC with the latest Sound cards. Otherwise, any (on board)16-bit sound card will serve your needs just fine. Speakers: Again, this is up to your preference for good sound. More expensive speakers will fill your room with gorgeous sound. Smaller speakers may have tinny sounds. We recommend the whole Cambridge line of speakers -- great sound at great prices, and even the very small speakers are excellent. Removable Media: Every computer should still come with a 3.5" floppy disk drive. If you are planning to store a lot of data on diskette for transport, or if you plan on doing regular backups, you should purchase a better removable storage solution. Like a USB drive. If you are not getting a recordable DVD drive, get a high-capacity removable drive for backup purposes, like the SuperDisk drive or Iomega's Zip drive. The SuperDisk drive also reads 3.5" floppy disks. However! I would go for the USB Vault Drive, handy to take with you in your pocket. Keyboard: Not much choice here -- they're all good. If you are concerned about getting Repetitive Stress Syndrome, get an ergonomic keyboard. If you don't plan on typing for hours on end every day, don't bother. If you like the idea of having a wireless keyboard and, wireless this, wireless that, and wireless the other, plan on taking out mortgage for batteries. Mouse/Trackball: The only decision here is whether you will buy a mouse or trackball. Go to a computer store and try them all out. See which you are most comfortable with. Either way, make sure you get a mouse/trackball with a scrolling wheel -- this is very handy and makes browsing the web easy. USB: USB ports are a way to plug external devices into your machine. It allows you to plug a scanner, printer, joystick, or other devices into your machine and have them automatically be detected and start working without much input on your part. Do not buy a system that doesn't include USB ports. Case: The case is "the box" containing the innards of your computer: hard drive, motherboard, RAM, etc. This choice is also a matter of preference. Do you want a desktop computer? A tower case that can sit on the floor under your desk? Take into account the space you have available around your desk before you make this decision. Power Protection: You need protection from power surges -- it's foolish not to spend a few bucks more to protect your investment. A good power strip is essential for everyone. If you need total reliability, even in the face of a storm, consider a Uninterruptible Power Source (UPS) in case of a power outage or power surge (can be very exy for the larger ones). For the vast majority of computer buyers, a power strip will do just fine. Software: If you are buying your first computer, pay special attention to the software you get in the package. You will save a bundle if you can get the manufacturer/retailer to include the software in the deal. Always get the latest Operating System, and If you can, have them include an office productivity suite, either Microsoft Office, Lotus, Corel, Sun Office or PerfectOffice blah, blah, blah. Printer/Scanner Bundles: We say, beware of printer/scanner bundles. If you are not a "power user" who doesn't need topnotch printouts or images, you can save a lot of money by having the retailer bundle a printer or scanner with your system. However, the quality of the printers and scanners included in bundles is very low -- we think you are better off purchasing each separately. Warranty: Get a warranty! No excuses! 1 year minimum! Vendors to Trust... and Avoid There are a lot of computer hardware vendors out there, and they ALL want your business. While we obviously can't know the skinny on every single one out there, we can tell you the good (and bad) things we have heard. Good: Gateway and Dell are consistently top performers. The reason is that they make high quality PCs. Dell is excellent at making the higher-end computers, while Gateway has built a strong business around first-time home buyers. Their prices are about the same. Any way you slice it, you will not get a bad deal from these two computer titans. Bad: Never buy a Packfard Belly or a Complact! We at Rookies have had problems with both these vendors. In fact, Heaps of IT professionals stay away from these two brands. Complact may have once been a great computer vendor, but most of their corporate office is now concentrating on selling servers, leaving home buyers out of luck. As for Packfard Belly, these machines are just flat out terrible. Bad Retail Shops: I wouldent recomen you buy from "Hardly Normal" They have to take the biscuit for the worst "after sales service" I have ever encountered! They have to be the most expencive on computer systems and parts, and there "after sales service" is totaly non existent (I should know, I purchesed from them once before, NEVER again). ---- Rookie Ps, Sorry about having to use names like "Hardly Normal, Packfard Belly!!! Complact!!!!" I had to use some sort of name for them, didn't I? ;o) |
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