Ultimate Guide to Desktop Computers
Jan 05 '02
The Bottom Line Decide what you will be using your computer for, then look for the rights components for the job
So you want to get the ultimate desktop machine? Maybe you just want something that runs a little faster than your current clunker. Read below for a comprehensive guide to buying a desktop computer.
Buying a desktop computer has many advantages over a laptop. Most importantly however, it allows you to pick and choose the components you want in your machine. If you know enough about computers or know someone else who does, I would highly recommend building your own. It allows you a near infinite choice of components.
CPU - The heart of the system. Chips are rated by clock speed (megahertz usually), the rate at which they can task calculations. The faster the clock speed of the chip, the more calculations it can process. For todays software, anything over 750 MHz will do just fine. If you are looking to perform heavy duty graphics or video editing or anything that uses lots of processing power, you will want the fastest possible in your price range(up to 2 GigaHz).
Note: a couple of companies mass produce these chips--Intel and AMD are the major players. For the most part, there is no difference between two chips of the same speed from different companies.
GRAPHICS CARD/SOUND CARD - If you will be listening to lots of MP3's on your computer or watching videos or anything of that nature, this is an important piece of equipment. Every computer comes with some type of graphics card. If you will be watching many highly intensive video presentations (Winamp visualizations are some of the toughest for those of you who are into those type of thing), you will want a graphics card with more on board memory. Right now, 64 Mb is about the most you can get on a graphics card and will be able to handle anything. If you want to connect your computer to a TV, make sure the graphics card has a TV-out connection of some kind (usually s-video or composite).
Although the sound processing duties can be accomplished by the video card, if you will be listening to lots of music, or want to integrate your computer into a hifi entertainment system, you may want a separate sound card. Depending on your demands, you can get sound cards with 5.1 outputs for dolby digital or dts output. There is even a sound card made by Creative that has a remote control. Everything comes at a price though.
OPTICAL DRIVES - There are a few different tasks that you will need drives for:
Floppy Disks - While these may hold next to no data, they still seem to hang around. Although many computers do not include one, I still recommend having one. They still are tough to beat for portability and durability.
CD-Rom - Every computer comes with a CD-Rom drive. Make sure that it is fast enough for you (at least 24x) or that it reads CD-RW's.
CD Writer (burner) - I think pretty much every computer these days comes with some type of CD writer. Yours should write no slower than 8x, meaning it can write an audio cd in 1/8 the time it takes to play it. If you will be writing a lot of CD's you can purchase a 24x writer, which can write a full length audio CD in 3 minutes. Be careful though, you have to buy CD-R's that are compatible with that writing speed.
DVD-ROM - Again, most computers now come standard with this drive. Just make sure that it is fast enough. the Standard is at least 8x
DVD-R - This a very new and somewhat cloudy technology. While DVD writers have come down in price a lot since there introduction, they are still a bit pricey (around $500). Also, there are compatibility issues with the writers and the players--the DVD's you write may not be able to play on a standard hi-fi DVD player. Writable DVD's do have advantages however. With 5.2 GB a pop, each disc is a small hard drive. Personally, I would wait 6 months or so until they come down in price and the compatibility is worked out.
PORTS - Although every computer comes with a few standard ports (parallel, mouse, monitor, etc.), you will want to make sure that it has enough USB and Firewire ports to suit all of your devices or future devices. Almost anything that can be plugged into a computer comes with a USB cable these days so your computer should have at least two USB ports. Firewire is like a USB port but with many times the speed. Firewire has really caught on in the past year and you will want at least one (probably more) firewire port.
RAM - RAM handles the immediate processing functions of your computer. RAM is pretty cheap these days and your computer should have 128MB at a minimum. If RAM is the only shortfall of a particular machine, dont worry; you can get 256 MB for about $40. Adding RAM will make your computer go faster to a point. After a while, the processing power of your computer will find a different sticking point (chip, system bus, hard drive, etc.)
MONITOR - Standard monitors are pretty cheap these days. IF you will be using your computer a lot, you may want to go for a LCD flatscreen. For about twice the price of a standard monitor, you get much better resolution and no AC flicker, which makes it much easier on your eyes.
HARD DRIVE - Where all the information on your computer is stored. Remember that all of your programs run from your hard drive, so a faster hard drive will run programs faster (Hard drive speed is measured in RPM's and seek time). The base speed for a hard drive is 5400 RPM. They come as fast as 16000 RPM for the Seagate Cheetah if you really want to get the best.
It is important to remember that the price for computer components varies widely and you dont want to spend a premium on something that you wont really use. Before you go out, sit down and list the important functions that you will need your computer to perform and buy the best components for those functions.
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