Congratulations, you have decided that you want to buy a computer!
By Dennis Solis
However, you are having trouble Has a sales person told you that you need a Windows based 64 bit quad processor, 8GB DDR2 SDRAM, 1TB SATA hard drive with a built-in 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN or some other incomprehensible statement? Have you left the store scratching your head and wondering what they were talking about? Let’s see if we can demystify that techno-speak.
The first thing to determine is if you should purchase a Windows or Macintosh (Mac) based computer. In my opinion, this question is irrelevant for the beginner. Both systems are easy to use, both take you to the Internet, both enable you to send and receive e-mails, and both allow you to write letters using a word processor. However, windows based computers are cheaper since they comprise over 90% of the market and many companies manufacture them. If you are going to be doing serious video editing or graphic design, which is beyond most beginners, I would suggest a Mac based computer. If you have limited funds or do not have friends who can help you with a Mac, I suggest you go with a Windows base computer.
There are two schools of thought regarding the purchase of a computer. One school suggest you buy a high performance computer every seven years or so. The advantage to this approach is you spend less money over time and you have a fast machine that will perform well. The main disadvantage is there is a higher up front cost and some argue that most computers are obsolete after three years. While this might be true from a pure technology point of view, it does not diminish the useful life of a computer. The alternative approach is to purchase a medium performance computer every three to four years. The advantage of this approach is your machine is never obsolete. The disadvantage of this approach is you end up spending more money over a seven year period and you never have a fast machine. Given that the cost of computers keep falling, it is hard to recommend one approach over the other. I believe that both of these approaches are valid. Personally, I tend to purchase an expandable high end computer every seven years.
The next thing you need to decide is do you want a desktop or a laptop computer? You can carry a laptop with you while a desktop is designed to permanently sit on or next to your work space. Please note that for an equivalent level of computing power, laptops are significantly more expensive because they require more engineering to design and build.
Next, you must decide what you want to do with your computer. The main use of your computer will dictate how much “horsepower” you will need. If you are going to be creating graphics / art, editing sound, editing video, or serious photography you are going to need a high end computer. If you are going to be surfing the web, e-mailing, and writing letters, you can purchase a high to medium performance computer. I would stay away from the low end computers because very few people are ever happy with their performance.
The most important part of the computer is the Central Processing Unit (CPU), which is also known as a processor. The processor is your computer’s engine. It supplies the horsepower to get work done. There are three things you need to know about a processor. First, is it a 32 or 64 bit processor? Second, is it a single, double, triple or quad “core” processor? And finally, what is its “speed” rating.
The main difference between a 32 bit and 64 bit processor is a 32 bit processor can utilize a maximum of 3.5 GB (1GB = 1 billion characters) of memory. This sounds like a lot, but in today’s computer world it is not. A 64 bit processor can utilize 128 GB of memory. Now that is a lot! High performance computers will utilize either a 32 or 64 bit processor. Medium and low performance computer will normally have a 32 bit processor. One important thing to remember, many peripherals (printers, scanners, video camera, digital cameras) do not work with a 64-bit processor. Therefore, before you purchase these peripherals make sure they work with a 64-bit processor.
The second thing you need to know about the processor is it a single, dual, triple, or quad processor? A single processor has only one “thinking” unit in it, a dual has two “thinking” units, and so on and so on. In general, the more “thinking” units a processor has, the more work it can do in a given amount of time.
The third thing you need to know about a processor is its speed. A processor’s speed is kind of like horse power in a car and is measured in “gigahertz” (GHz). Wikipedia.org defines a hertz as the number of complete cycles per second. One gigahertz is one billion hertz. The minimum processor speed you should even consider is 2 GHz. A decent processor speed is about 2.2 to 2.5 GHz. A fast processor is in the 2.8 to 3.2 GHz range. The fastest processors currently being produced are rated at about 4 GHz.
The next item of concern is how much memory comes with the computer and what is the maximum amount of memory that can be installed on the computer. We already know that 32 bit computers have a maximum of 4 GB memory. However, some manufacturers make computers that only allow for a maximum of 2 billion characters of memory. Even though 64 bit process can use 128 billion characters, most computers are not built to utilize that much. Each computer is different, so it is critical that you determine how much comes with the computer and what is the maximum amount the computer will hold. Given the requirements of Window’s Vista, I would recommend you max out a 32 bit processor with 4 GB of memory. If you purchase a 64 bit computer, I would suggest a minimum of 6 GB of memory but 8 GB would be preferred.
The next item of concern is the hard drive. The hard drive is where all of your information is permanently stored. A hard drive is like a huge filing cabinet with many drawers. Each drawer can hold many file folders, and each file folder can hold many files. So how big a hard drive will you need? A 320 GB drive will hold 127 two-hour DVD quality movies, or 450 hours of VHS quality movies, or 265 days of around the clock MP3 audio (music), or 112,500 vivid digital photos. A 500 GB drive will hold 212 two-hour DVD-quality movies, or 750 hours of VHS-quality video, or 440 days of around-the-clock MP3 audio, or 186,500 vivid digital photos. A 750 GB drive will hold more the twice as much as a 320 GB drive while a 1 TB (1 terabyte or 1 trillion character) drive will hold twice as much as a 500 GB drive. In general, the larger the disk drive the better.
The next item you will need to think about is the size of the monitor. Monitors are televisions without a television channel tuner. Just like TVs, they are measured diagonally (bottom left corner to top right corner). The minimum size you should get is a 17 inch monitor. Since there is less eye strain with larger monitors, the larger the monitor the better. You can get a 17 inch monitor for about $80 on sale. A 19 inch monitor will cost about $120. A 20 inch monitor will cost about $150. If you watch for sales, you can get a 23 inch monitor for about $230.
And finally, you need to decide what software you will purchase with your computer. You should look for a computer with Windows Vista Home Premium or Vista Business. This will entitle you to a free upgrade to Windows 7, the next version of Windows. The computer should come with a free copy of Microsoft Works, which contains a simple word processor and spreadsheet programs. It should also have Microsoft Mail, which is Microsoft’s free e-mail program. You can purchase MS Office, but there is free office software available on the web. If you don’t mind downloading your software from the web, you should visit www.askbobrankin.com/free_office_software.html. This site has links to free office software. Personally, I use Open Office which is available from this website.
Each week I review the Sunday newspaper ads and post the best deals on my website, http://solispcdoc.com/deals.aspx. Please make sure you read the comments carefully because some times the price does not include a monitor. Also the prices I have listed below are sale prices and not the normal retail price. A decent mid-range desktop will cost about $400 to $450 and will have at least a 32 bit dual core 2.5 GHz processor with 3 or 4 GB of memory and 320 GB of disk. (You should now know what all that techno-speak means!) A decent high end machine will cost about $450 to $550 and will have a 2.6 GHz 64 bit dual core processor with 6 GB of memory and 640 GB of disk. A very high end computer will cost $950 or more and include a 2.66 GHz 64 bit quad processor with 8 GB of memory and 750 GB disk drive. If you want to spend about $1,200 you can purchase a 2.66 GHz quad processor with 9 GB of memory and 1,000 GB of disk with a wireless network card and faster memory.
Laptops are going to be quite a bit more expense than a desktop. A mid-range laptop is going to cost approximately $590 and include a either a 32 or 64 bit 2.10 GHz dual core processor with 4 GB of memory and 320 GB of disk.
Once you have decided all of the above issues, you need to decide when and from whom you are going to buy the computer. My suggestion is to purchase the computer you want when it hits the price you are willing to pay. No matter how long you wait for the best deal, the same computer will be cheaper in six months.
Before you go shopping, write down what you want to do with your computer, what type of processor (32 vs. 64 bit, dual vs. quad, and speed), how much memory, how big a disk drive you want, and most importantly how much you are willing to pay. Once you have this information, it is time to go do comparison shopping. I would suggest you try your local computer store or retail chains such as Best Buy, Office Depot, Staples, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, or BJ’s. Make sure you take notes as you visit each store. You will need those notes to do your comparisons once you get home. Please take careful notes as it can be very confusing when you start to compare all of the different computers.