How to buy a computer
By Jonathan Schlaffer
If you have a computer that’s between three and five years old lying around, it’s probably time to start thinking about upgrading; however, upgrading an old computer will leave you with vintage components that could potentially impair the speed and quality of your new parts. A computer that’s three years old could be upgraded, but we suggest purchasing a whole new system.
Almost every new computer will come with Windows Vista but be aware of what versions you’re getting. Avoid computers that come with Vista Basic, as it is a bottom of the barrel operating system that is basically useless.
This is mainly due to the fact that it lacks several features that many home users will find they need in the future such as the Aero Glass GUI (present in every other version), Media Center, DVD authoring tools, Movie Maker HD, backup tools, and tablet PC functionality.
Most computers will come with Vista Home Premium also known as Vista Premium; this version will appeal to nearly everyone except businesses, who should consider Vista Business, Ultimate or Enterprise. Home users should seek out a desktop with Vista Home Premium.
Your new computer should have, at the very least, 1GB of memory. However, more is recommended. A computer’s memory is one component that you can never have too much of; so, if you can afford the luxury of getting 2GB of memory or more, do so, you won?t be disappointed.
As far as processors go, I would avoid the Dual Core Pentiums, as those models are not nearly as fast or efficient as the Core 2 Duo processors.
The primary difference between the Core 2 Duo processors and Pentium D processors are the manufacturing processes used. The Pentium D is made using the 90nm process and the Core 2 Duos are made using a 65nm process. This means that Core 2 Duo processors are more efficient and run cooler than a comparable Pentium D processor.
Most Pentium D processors will have 2MB of L2 cache with 1MB per core, newer Core 2 Duo processors of the Exx20 series have 4MB of L2 cache with 2MB per core. More cache does not necessarily mean the processor will run much faster but it does give the system a speed boost by being able to fetch more instructions from processor memory rather than having to go to slower memory (RAM) or the hard drive.
I’m concentrating on Intel processors because currently they are faster and more efficient than the offering from AMD, their main competitor. But, going with AMD may save you some money and this is where the choice depends on your budget.
Some computers come with what’s known as “integrated graphics” — that means the graphics function is built into the computer’s motherboard. It is possible to get by with integrated graphics but integrated graphics share the computer’s main memory and don’t offer great performance so you wouldn’t be able to play the latest performance-hungry games, though they would be just fine for all other tasks. For serious gaming, you’ll need to invest in a dedicated graphics card.
A DVD-rewritable (DVDRW) drive is essential today for making backups and drive images should you find the need to restore your system. A DVDRW drive will allow you to burn to almost any type of writable DVD media (DVDR, DVDRW) and erase DVDRW discs and use them over again.
If you have a sizeable music or video library, back them up to a DVD. A CD could be used but you’re looking at using 10 CDs for 8GB where only 2 DVDs are needed.
Hard Drive capacity will depend on your needs, 160GB is fine, however it’s always best to buy as much storage as you can afford. I’d recommend 250GB. Most computers have a second (or third) hard drive bay so adding storage later won’t be a problem.
There are also external storage solutions using USB or Firewire but those should be used for file storage only and should not be used for running programs because the data rates of USB or Fireware cannot match the speed of a drive that’s plugged into the motherboard itself.
The amount of memory, processor type and speed, and graphics card will be the main factors that will determine what you will be able to accomplish with your computer.
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August 21st, 2007
Yours was absolutely the most helpful advice I have found so far.
Thanks!