|
|
Navigating the PC Purchase JungleSep 08 '00 Write an essay on this topic.Buying a computer for school need not be a painful task, although the myriad choices and bewildering array of options can make it seem that way. Here is my basic PC-Purchase survival checklist. 1) Know what you want to use the computer for. Do you want the machine for just word processing, or did you have Quake 3 in mind as well? Do you like to work in places other than your dorm/house? Once you've decided what you want your PC to do, its time to look at vendors. http://www.pcworld.com and http://www.pcmag.com are two reputable sites that regularly conduct surveys on consumer satisfaction with different vendors. Warranty, service and support, and general reliability are clearly the three most important factors. Dell seems to be number one in these categories. Most large vendors won't leave you in the lurch should your system go haywire, but be wary of smaller on line stores. They generally offer very good prices, but they may not be around to support your PC in a few years. Now on to components: 1) CPU - The brains of your computer. 400 MHz or so is more than fast enough for today's applications. Anything over 500 MHz will keep you in good hands for the next few years. People who like gaming may want to purchase a 700 MHz or higher machine. As games become more realistic and sophisticated, the processing power needed to keep them running smoothly also increases. Processors by Intel and AMD are both fast and high quality. Stay away from extremely slow Cyrix chips unless cost is a major concern. Intel's Pentium3 and Celeron processors are recommended, as well as AMD's Athlon and Duron processors. 2) RAM - more RAM allows a computer user to keep more programs running smoothly at the same time. 64 MB is sufficient for most general users. 128 MB will keep most gamers happy, and 256+ MB will satisfy the most memory thirsty video and graphics editing programs. PC100 and PC133 SDRAM provides the best bang for the buck. Stay away from RDRAM – it’s overpriced and useless with today's computers. The new Pentium4 may make RDRAM worthwhile in future computers, however. 3) Hard Drive - At least 10 GB for general users, and 20 GB for gamers. MP3 files, applications, and games eat up hard drive space faster than you might think! Hard drives come in 5400 RPM models and faster 7200 RPM models. Get a faster hard drive if you work with large files. 4) Video card - gamers will want the latest in graphics card. This means GeForce2 GTS, Voodoo5, or ATI Radeon. General users can probably make do with "Integrated" video solutions or a low cost ATI card. People who do intensive graphics editing may want a Matrox card for crystal clear 2D images. 5) Monitor - 17 inch, 0.26 Dot pitch monitors are great for almost anyone. The lower the dot pitch, the clearer text and graphics will be. A 19 inch monitor is even better, but such monitors are large and heavy. "Flat Panel" LCD monitors are also quite nice, but they are extremely expensive. 6) LAN card - 3COM and Linksys LAN cards seem to be the most popular Network interface cards. I use a 3COM model and have not had any problems with it. Linksys cards also come highly recommended. Other items, such as sound systems and input devices may influence your purchase decisions. Most mice and keyboards sold today are adequate, but you may want to try different models at a local computer store before ordering a system. Those are the basics of computer purchasing. I encourage you to explore in depth and do some comparison-shopping before making a purchase - many vendors such as Dell and Gateway allow customers to customize their PC online. It's a silicon and steel jungle out there, but a little research can go a long way.  |
| Write the first comment on this review! |
- Top 1000|
Ads by Google
|
