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All I want for Christmas is a new computer. Very likely, a new computer may be the most requested, and most expensive, item on your shopping list this year. But where do you start? Should you buy a desktop PC or a laptop? What brand? How much should you expect to pay? The questions can be endless, especially if you are new to buying computers or if it has been a while since you’re last purchase. Let’s talk a little this week about what to look for, and how to make sure his/her eyes shine bright and smiles wide when your loved one sees that shiny new computer under the tree on the morning of the 25th.
The first question to ask is whether to get a desktop PC or a laptop. In general, you get more bang for the buck in a desktop, but a laptop offers one critical thing that a desktop computer just can’t, and that is mobility. So, if your loved one is going to college or expects to travel very much then a laptop is definitely the way to go. Otherwise, a desktop is probably the best choice. If they are a hard-core gamer, you probably want to forget the laptop altogether. Of course, laptops have a definite ‘cool’ factor that is hard to beat. This choice is really a personal matter, just be aware that most programs will run faster on a desktop PC and between two systems with comparable features the desktop computer will be much cheaper than the laptop.
Monitors come bundled with many desktops these days and of course they are built onto laptops. For PCs, get at least a 17-inch CRT monitor. If at all possible, go with a 17 or 19-inch LCD—these are so much better than old school CRTs and can be found at a reasonable price if you do a little searching. For a laptop, go with at least a 14.1 inch screen, preferable a wide-screen model.
What else to look for? Well, the internal components, often overlooked by a purchaser, play a crucial role in a computer’s performance. Regarding processor speed, try to get at least 2GHz. AMD and Intel both provide great processor chips and I like both. If I had a choice, I would probably buy an Intel-based computer however. You’ll want at a minimum 60GB of hard drive space and 256MB of ‘DDR’ or ‘RDRAM’ RAM. The more memory you can get the better. 256MB is the bare minimum; I strongly suggest you go with 512MB. Also, look for a computer that has at least a CD burner and a DVD drive. These can be bundled into a single drive, and that’s OK. If you can afford a DVD burner (these will also burn CDs), go for it. For a PC, you’ll want at least 128MB of video RAM and for a laptop, get as much as you can afford. Also, if possible, get a computer with separate video memory. Many computers these days, and it seems almost all laptops, come with ‘shared memory’, where the video memory comes from stealing part of the main computer RAM. This is not a good thing.
Everyone wants to get on the Internet these days, so make sure that the computer comes with a modem (for dial-up access) or network card (if you are lucky enough to have a broadband connection to the Internet). Be careful here: network cards look an awful lot like a modem.
Another item to consider is bundled software. At a minimum, check to see if the computer comes with some virus software and a word processor package. Many computers come with Microsoft Works for word processing, spreadsheets, etc. This is OK for casual use, but Microsoft Office or WordPerfect Office Suite would be best. For the operating system for the computer, you’ll want Microsoft XP Home Edition for most users. If the user is a true power user (in other words, a geek) and you can afford it, go with XP Professional Edition. If the user is really into videos, photos, music and games you might want to consider Windows XP Media Center Edition. And, of course, if the user is a true trail-blazer and likes to hack on computers, Linspire is a great Linux-based operating system that costs much less than XP. Before you go with Linspire, however, make sure that the user is OK with that choice, as Linux is not quite yet a mainstream, home user operating system.
Now, for the Cool Site of the Week... This week’s featured site is Ebay.com. Many readers will already be familiar with eBay as it has quickly become a household name over the past few years. eBay is a huge on-line auction site. It is so popular that you can find and buy just about anything. Everything from small towns to used clothing can be found and purchased here, and often at a very, very low price. It is very easy to use and you can even sell your old stuff and make a nice little profit.
As always, if you have any questions or suggestions for future articles, please email me at mike@MikeBryant.com. |