|
|
A Beginner's Guide to buying a computerJan 23 '00 Write an essay on this topic.Decided to buy a computer, eh? As you have noticed, there are 1,001 combinations of computers and options to choose from. I'd like to stress that bigger is not always better, but definitely more expensive. I'll explain why later in this review. There are 8 basic things you should look at. I always say that there 4 are major options and 4 are minor options. First let's talk about the 4 major categories of new computer options. Processor This is the brain power of your computer. The Processor, also called CPU, is measured in Model and MHZ. Some common processors are the Intel Pentium III 600, Intel Celeron 466, and AMD Athlon 550. For a beginner, I will always suggest the celeron processor. Reason being, the price is drastically less than the other 2 and I firmly believe that the difference between it and the other 2 is minimal. So minimal that a novice user wouldn't be able to notice the difference. (Except in his/her checkbook) Using that same idea, I never buy the best or fastest processor on the market. I tend to buy the 3rd or 4th best processor on the market. I have 2 reasons for doing that. 1) the difference is minimal. 2) the price is drastically less. An example: (as of 1/23/00) the Pentium III 733 is $725 just for the chip itself. The Intel Pentium III 667 is $545. That is $180 between the fastest Intel PIII and the 3rd fastest Intel PIII. For $180, 66MHZ (733-667) is not going to make a huge difference in what I want to do and I doubt I could ven notice the difference. And quite honestly, a new user won't be able to take advantage of the computer's power. Might as well save some money on this computer purchase. Then in a year or two, when you are comfortable with it and can use it effectively, apply the saved money to the purchase of a new computer that you can take advantage of. I recommend a Celeron in the 400-500MHZ range. Monitor You will be staring at this piece of equipment a long time. So understanding that, purchase something decent. Your eyes will thank you. The standard size monitor is 17" now. Don't forget, the sizes they list aren't the viewable size. For the standard 17" monitor, it has an average viewable area of 15.8"-16.0". A monitor generally lasts 3 or so years. Understanding that, if you purchase a new computer in a year or two, you can use the same monitor you are using at the time. There are too many quality Monitor brands to mention. I recommend a quality 15"-17". Ram Without getting into too much detail, RAM is your random access memory. That means that nothing is permanently stored on your RAM memory. The # of programs, applications and/or games that you can run simultaneously mainly depends on your ram. 64MB is pretty standard, but the market is slowly moving to 128MB as a standard. However, 64 MB should be able to fulfill your needs. Hard Drive This is where your data is stored. Your operating system, probably Windows 98, your programs and your data will all be stored on this large storage device. It is crucial that your hard drive is able to "keep" up with the rest of your system. If the hard drive is of lower quality, the rest of your system will slow down in relation to the "speed" of your hard drive which would make the hard drive a bottleneck in your system. I recommend 13-20GB, 7200 rp, ATA 66 and 1+MB Cache/Buffer. Next, let's discuss 4 "minor" categories of options on a new computer. CDROM/DVD Newer computers are replacing the CDROM drive with a DVD drive. A DVD drive can not only read cdroms, but also DVDs like its name implies. Most systems have the DVD Drive standard. If it is an upgrade, a reasonable one, then it is a judgement call on your part. I will let you know that you won't see any performance gain with one or the other. But like I said earlier, the DVD drive can read DVDs and cdroms whereas the CDROM drive can only read cdroms. With a DVD drive you CAN watch dvd movies on your computer. I recommend a DVD drive if it's not already standard and it is a reasonable price. Printer Most computers don't include a printer, but some do. Most likely you would get an Inkjet printer. An inket is different than a laserjet in that a laserjet uses toner (black inky powder) to print as where an inkjet uses liquid ink to print. Hewlett Packard, Epson, Canon, brother and Okidata are all big name brands. I recommend a low end Hewlett Packard Deskjet/Inket. Modem The standard modem is 56Kbps. This is a "card" that you hook your phone line to. It then allows you to dialup and connect to other computers and/or the Internet. Mainly, just make sure that one is included if you plan on connecting to the Internet. I recommend a USR/3COM 56Kbps. Software An operating system should be pre-installed for you. It will most likely be Windows 98. Additional software such as an Office Suite like Lotus SmartSuite, Corel Office, Microsoft Works or Microsoft Office should also be included with your new computer. The "best" office suite package really depends on the user's opinion. But Microsoft Office is the most expensive if you correlate price with quality. In addition, some vendors add encyclopedias, games and other family applications as extra features. There is no recommendation for this category. Choose whatever interests you. SUMMARY I have mentioned several times that you should not get the best, especially if you are a novice user. You could upgrade this and that for $20/upgrade but before you know it, the computer is $400 more than when you started. I always urge consumers to save that money, apply it to a new computer in a year or two. As to where to buy the new computer. I personally am a big fan of Dell http://www.dell.com and Gateway 2000 http://www.gw2k.com They allow you to customize a computer online and then either order it online or call a salesperson and walk through it with him or her. It is a painless process contrary to what you may think. They have incredible prices and their tech support is even better. I have yet to find a computer company with better tech support than them. I hope this was informative for some people. Good luck shopping :)  |
| Read all comments (4)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
