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Think long and hard as to why you want to buy a computer. Do you want to buy a computer to play games, then you might be better of to buy a game computer like a Sony PlayStation? Do you want to buy a computer to go on the Internet or do you want to do an administration of some sort on it? It makes a lot of difference for which purpose you purchase a computer as to what hardware configuration you should look for and the price you have to pay for it.
This document is intended to help make those choices and hopefully be more prepared when you think about buying a new computer and get the right configuration for your needs.
If you have children in the age of 5 and up, it is almost a must to have a personal computer in your house. But even if you don't, computers and Internet already form a big part of today's life and you don't want to be left out of this progress of new technology and how it can be of benefit to you.
This question will be answered in great detail. We will look at all parts of the computer and what to look for if you go for those bargains, which might not be bargains at all.
You also want to buy a computer that lasts. If you buy a computer that is already outdated, you might run the risk that you are not able to run the latest software on it. A computer is as fast as it slowest components. This means that you can have a fast computer, but if a component like a hard disk slows down the computer, you might have just wasted lots of money on a high speed CPU that will never be fully utilized. That's why this document also talks about some technical specifications that might be important when selecting the right machine for you.
We will also talk about additional hardware, like printers, scanners, digital cameras, modems and networks.
The right additions might get more use out of your computer for only a little bit of extra money.
We will also take some time to look at some software features and what's best to buy when you are just starting out.
The best spot to install your computer is the living room. This way, if you have children, you have control over what they do on the computer. Also a computer is an instrument to make life easier. A computer can be used to play with but it can also help do your home work, help you find information, and become more creative.
The time that you would probably find that there was anything wrong with a computer from a hardware point of view is in the first month that you operate your computer. If your machine is running okay for a couple of months, it will probably be okay for ever (figuratively speaking). You can buy a computer from a company like Dell, Compaq or Gateway and get technical support with it. I have only had good experience with Gateway's technical support service as long as you keep buying everything from them (both hardware and software). As soon as you buy something through another source, they will not support it and tell you to contact that manufacturer.
The CPU (Central Processing Unit) or Chip is the heart of the computer. There are many different types of CPU's and with different types of speeds and this already determines how fast the computer will be and what the capabilities of your machine will have.
Older computers might still have 486 CPU's but all new computer have a so called Pentium chip. These Pentium CPU's come in different brand names and different types and speeds. You have Intel Pentium II, Pentium III, Celeron, and AMD Athlon and Duron CPUs. The speed can vary from 300 up to 1200 MHz (1.2 GHz).
What does this all mean and what is right for you? You should compare this with buying a car. If you do not need the speed, why would you buy a Porsche? And if you can do with a Ford why buy a Rolls Royce? The most expensive CPU's are the Intel Pentium III and Athlon processors. The more the megahertz the more expensive they become. For just normal use (writing letters, playing basic games, desktop publishing) a 500-600 MHz CPU is very fast. But if you can afford the money, you might be better off buying something a little faster, so that future software that needs more brain power can still run on your computer.
We recommend that you buy a Celeron, Pentium III, Athlon, or Duron based computer in the 600 - 1000 MHz range.
If you intend to use only the basics of the computer, like typing letters, going on the Internet and doing some basic desktop publishing, other types of computers can be purchased as low as $400 (new) or $150 (used) excluding monitors. You might also want to look into the newly emerging Internet appliances or Web TVs.
Recommended CPU: Celeron or Duron bsaed computer fror the more cost conscious, Pentium III or AMD Athlon for the power user. Current desktop systems are no slower than 550 MHz. For more information on selecting a CPU,.
Buying system memory (RAM) for the computer is important for the overall performance of the computer. Programs are loaded from the hard disk and stored into the computer's memory upon usage. Whenever a program is stopped, the program is stored from memory back to the hard disk again.
Not enough system memory will result in a state called swapping. This means that the hard disk will be used as additional memory, but since a hard disk uses mechanical parts, the overall performance of the computer will degrade.
It is also important to have memory that has the same speed as the rest of your components (like CPU). Memory comes in many different forms; EDO, SDRAM, DDR, and Rambus DRAM. Again, the faster the memory, the higher the price.
If you have a 486 computer, EDO memory is fast enough, but a Pentium III 450 MHz needs the special PC 100 memory to keep up with the CPU, or else the performance will degrade. More memory makes your computer faster too. To go from 64 MB to 128 MB will cost you about $ 60 and will increase the performance of your machine if you intend to have high usage.
Recommended Memory. 64MB-128MB for all new computers.
With the hard disk, both speed and size matters. In terms of the brand, I would personally stick with the leading brand names like IBM, Seagate, Western Digital, Maxtor. With hard disks there are basically three different types, EIDE, SCSI interface, or firewire.
For SCSI and firewire drives, you need a separate interface card and the hard drives themselves are more expensive, but faster then EIDE drives.
Within EIDE you have three different types, regular EIDE, Ultra DMA and Ultra ATA. The difference is that Ultra DMA and ATA have higher speed in terms of accessing and data transfer since the hard disk runs faster (DMA 5400 RPM, ATA 7200 RPM) and because of a special interface the data transfer rate is higher (66 MB/sec, or 100 MB/sec). The access to data on the disk (seek time) is very important for the overall performance of the computer. Data transfer rate is important if you are using big files like big databases or video files. Hard drives are relatively cheap, for instance the difference between a 10 GB and a 20 GB drive is only $70.
Recommended hard disk: 10-30 GB Ultra DMA 7-9 ms seek time, 512 K Cache, 7500 RPM.
Video cards are the interface between the CPU and the monitor. The latest technology has delivered very fast video cards. They are the so called AGP or Accelerated Graphics Port video cards. The data transfer rate between the CPU and the Video card has been improved since the motherboard now comes with a special dedicated slot (AGP) for the video card that runs faster than the PCI bus. Most video cards also have their own video memory installed on the card, which increases memory performance.
There are a lot of different brands and types of video cards. You have to compare your own intended use of the computer with the capabilities of the video cards. If you plan to do video editing or computer aided design or 3D games, you need different kinds of video cards, depending on what you want to do most. Good brands for Video are ATI, Diamond Multimedia, Creative, and Voodoo.
Recommended Video Card: 2X-4X AGP, 16-64 MB RAM, 3-D card with a good brand name.
It does matter a lot in terms of quality of sound, which sound card is installed in the computer. One thing is that it has to be compatible. Lots of games come equipped for most common sound cards, but if the system has an strange sound card, at least make sure that it is Adlib compatible. A sound card and its quality really becomes important when you want to work with sound, e.g. connect a midi keyboard or record sound through your soundcard onto the computer. There are many brands of soundcards and the quality of the soundcard is mostly reflected in number of bits; 16 bit, 32 bit, 64 bit or 128 bit sound cards. The soundcard that I have personally had the best results with are the ones manufactured by SoundBlaster.
Speakers are personal. I advise someone to go to a Best Buy or CompUSA and listen to different computer speakers. I personally like the Cambridge SoundWorks with subwoofer, good quality sound for reasonable price.
Recommended sound cards: Diamond MX 300, 400, 600 and the family of SoundBlaster Live cards.
CD-ROM drives come in three different basic forms, the standard CD-ROM, the DVD ROM and the ReWritable CD-ROM.
The standard CD-ROM is read only and can read standard Music CD-ROM's, data CD-ROM's up to 700 MB of data and are in various speeds. 32X, 48X, 72X etc.
DVD-ROM, is a different kind of CD-ROM that can read the same kind of CD's as a standard CD-ROM, and on top of that it can read DVD-ROMs. One single DVD-ROM can store up to 6.4 GB of software which is 8 times the size of a conventional CD-ROM. DVD-ROM also gives you the possibility to view Digital movies on your desktop, although you also require a so-called MPEG decoder card. This sometimes comes as part of the DVD set but most of the time needs to be purchased separately.
A CD ReWritable gives you the possibility to record your own CD's, both data and/or Music up to 800 MB of data or 80 minutes of music. The speed of writing a CD is from to 2x to 12x. At 2x speed it takes 1 hour to record 800 MB of data, at 12X it takes less than 5 minutes. CD-recorders can be purchased for as low as 90 dollars and blank CD's are approximately 1 dollar each. A great way to make backups, copy software and create your own music CD's
Recommended as optional equipment: 1 DVD-ROM 10X (if you want to watch movies) and 1 CD-ReWritable 8X/32X or faster (for backup or recording music).
Modems are used to either connect to the Internet through a phone line or send or receive fax documents through a phone line. Most computers come with a modem. Most modems are 56K V.90 modems which indicates the speed of the modem. 56K is the maximum speed you can achieve with a so-called dail-up modem. To get more speed for Internet usage, you will have to go to ISDN or Cable modem connections.
Top brand modems are 3Com, Zoom, or U.S. Robotics. Modems can be sensitive to current fluctuations and need to be protected. This can be done by a surge protector that protects both power and telephone outlets.
Recommended modem: good brand 56K V.90
Buying a monitor for your computer is almost a separate study. Monitors can vary in price between 130 to 1500 dollars. Important factors in the price determination are the monitor size and viewable image, maximum resolution and refresh rate and the dot pitch. With Windows 98, a second monitor can be attached when a second Video card is installed creating a two-monitor size desktop.
The monitor size (for example 19 inch) means that the viewable size (measured diagonally) is about 18 inches. The smaller the dot pitch, the greater the resolution, e.g. an 0.25 mm pitch is sharper then a 0.28 mm pitch. Everything over 0.28 mm is not considered super VGA. Another important factor is the refresh rate. This is the rate in which the image is built up on the monitor. A higher number (85Hz) gives a steadier image then a lower number (60Hz).
Recommended Monitor: 19 Inch (18 inch viewable), 76 Hz refresh rate, 0.26 mm pitch or less.
The keyboard and mouse are very personal. Some people love the ergonomic keyboards and some keyboards have a different click then others. Go and feel which keyboard and mouse are best for you. You can also buy a cordless mouse and keyboard, which work on infrared. Again, a very personal choice.
Recommended Keyboards: Microsoft, Logitech, or IBM.
You have two types of printers, laser or inkjet. Laser printers are more precise then inkjet printers and print a lot faster then inkjet printers. The down side is that they are black and white only. (Color laser printers are still very expensive). Color inkjet printers give you more flexibility in terms of your printing work since you can add color to your end result. My personal recommendation is to buy a HP color inkjet printer. They give the best results in terms of quality, durability and least use of ink cartridges. Buy a HP color inkjet with photo printing technology.
Recommendation: HP Inkjet. Epson and Lexmark printers are also good.
With a flatbed scanner, you can scan color photo's and black and white text. Printed text can potentially be converted to documents without having to reenter the text and color images can be used to add to documents, send over the Internet, etc. You can buy a scanner for 40 dollars.
Important is the resolution of the scanner and the ease of use of the software that comes with it. I have had good luck with the Microtek scanners.
Scanners can be connected via the printer port or via the so-called USB (Universal Serial Bus). If a USB is present on the computers motherboard, it is recommended to use this over reusing the printer port. However, we do not recommend you add a USB port to an old computer just to run a scanner.
Recommendation. HP or Microtek.
If you have more then one computer (or desktop and laptop) you can install a network. This connects multiple computers together. You can share printers and hard-disks / CD-ROMs through the network and play certain games through the network. A network is not expensive and windows 95/98/2000 has standard network software built-in. You can install a complete network between two computer for less then 100 dollars.
Most of the good quality Digital cameras are still pretty expensive ($400-$2000). You are probably better off buying a good flatbed scanner. Don't expect the quality of a digital camera in combination with a color inkjet to give you the same result as a developed picture, but they are getting closer and closer. Still it avoids the inconvenience of having to use special software and cables to download pictures to your computer.
<I have had great luck with my Olympus D-450 Zoom (cost about $400-450 retail). I used it to take the pictures in our Adding a Second Hard Drive article. With a digital camera, you definitely get what you pay for. I would recommend that you get at the very least a 2X optical zoom camera with a resolution of no less than 1280x960. The optical zoom is important to bring objects closer to your camera. The resolution is important for keeping the pixel size small in your printed pictures. - Ed>
To be able to play games, you can either use your keyboard as a control device or connect a game controller to your PC. Game controllers come in many different varieties and vary enormously in price. Purchase a game controller that is compatible with most games and that is easy to use.
For a single processor system the choice is pretty simple. Windows 98 Second edition or Windows Millennium Edition.
They are better then windows 95 and if you are thinking about multiple screen support, you can only do this with Windows 98 or higher. If you have windows 3.1, even on diskette, you can buy the upgrade rather then the full version. Windows Me has the added feature of system file deletion protection, enhanced networking, and system restore protection.
During the install, Windows 98 and Me will ask for verification of purchased Microsoft products, simply insert the windows 3.1 diskette and the install will continue. The upgrade version has all the features of the full version.
< If you want to use two CPUs on one motherboard, then Linux, Windows 2000, or Windows NT is a must. Also, if you have an older computer, Windows 95 is usually a better choice than Windows 98 or Me.>
There are various office tools like Lotus Office Suite (with Ami-pro and Lotus 123), Corel Office (with Word Perfect and Quattro Pro) and Microsoft Office 2000 (with Word and Excel). The most compatible and most used in the business is Microsoft Office.
A good anti virus program is a must these days. Buy one that also protects email and downloads from the Internet if you are going online. The advantage of McAfee over Norton is that McAfee does not charge for virus information files updates, Norton does. You do need to download the latest anti-virus information at least once a month.
You can download a free version of Aladdin's eSafe virus protection/Internet firewall software at www.esafe.com . This is a great all-around virus protection, email monitor, child protection, drive restorer program. I have been using it for a couple of months and it seems to be as good as any virus protection/Internet security program out there. You can even update it for free.
Another choice, if you already have a virus checker, is the free Zone Alarm personal firewall from Zone Labs. This program is used with your virus checker to prevent online attacks. Zone Alarm can be downloaded free at www.zonelabs.com.
There are various desktop publishers, Adobe Pagemaker, Microsoft Publisher 2000 and QuarkXPress. Unless you are a professional Desktop publisher, I think Microsoft Publisher is good enough. Possibilities to make flyers, brochures, booklets, newspapers and small magazines.
Again lots of different choices with different options. Aldus photo styler, Adobe Photoshop LE, Microsoft Photodraw 2, Paint Shop Pro.
Recommendation: Adobe Photoshop LE or Paint Shop Pro 6.
These programs allow you to make greeting cards, banners, labels, crafts and come with lots of clipart (color drawings and pictures). Various different titles like Print shop and Printmaster. We have had good results with Printmaster Platinum, | 