How To Choose Your Computer

First, you should decide what you are going to use the computer for. Then, you need to mind the configurations and your budget.

Computers are getting really inexpensive these days. Buy the most powerful computer your budget allows is always a good idea.

Computer prices do go down with time. However, that doesn't mean that you should wait forever to use it, to learn from it, and, most of all, enjoy it. Computer is the best investment money can buy now! Why do I say that, knowing that the value of a computer goes down significantly with time? What a computer can help you is limitless.

The most powerful computers these days are for gamers, servers, and rocket scientists. The priority is probably true in that order.

Do not buy a so-called "name-brand" or "major-brand" if upgrading may be on your mind a couple of years down on the road. These brands are specifically designed to hook you on buying only their highly priced components to maximize their 40-60% profit margin. Most "clone" makers are operating only with a 5-25% margin. Go figure where you could save money. Besides, most major PC makers are not really "manufacturers." They are just "box-makers" -putting components together- like every body else.

Clone or house-brands are often based on open structures, which means easier and cheaper upgrading, using "universal" components. You pretty much can go anywhere to have the computer served, upgraded, or repaired.

You should consider putting a computer together yourself only if you have some computer knowledge and some spare time. It is not that easy the first time. However, it does get easier once you have started. The satisfaction you get from putting a computer together is difficult to describe with words. Besides, you could sell a few of them and try to become the next Michael Dell. Who knows…

Rule of thumb: It is a better deal to buy a new one instead of upgrading an old one if the old one is more than three years old.

If all you need to do is word processing, spreadsheet, home finance, some basic windows games, e-mails, and browsing the Internet, you are an average user. Nothing really "high end" is needed. Consider a mid-grade computer that includes 350-500MHz microprocessor, 32 or 64 MB of memory, 8MB video, 4-8GB hard drive, 56K Modem, and any sound card. A 15” or larger monitor is recommended.

Servers are a lot more complex than any other computer systems. Normally servers should have as high a CPU speed as possible, preferably Pentium III microprocessor with 512K cache, a minimum of 128MB memory and 9.1GB or higher hard disk drives, often SCSI along with a network adapter. SCSI hard drives are better designed for simultaneous data access and not limited to just four hard drives as their IDE counterpart. Since servers rarely deal with a complex graphics, a 4 or 8MB video card would do the job, unless it is a Terminal Server. Use a large case with tons of cooling. Don't forget an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and a tape backup drive to protect your data and investment. Well, the price tag could go up quickly.

Designing a gaming computer is more fun than anything. Currently high-end and hardware-demanding games include QuakeII, QuakeIII, Hexen, StarCraft and Half-Life. These games run well only on intense gaming engines. Go with top of the line processor, such as 500-600MHz, Pentium III or AMD K6-3. Take a minimum of 128MB Memory and at least 8.4GB hard drive. IDE with ultra DMA/ATA66 is OK. The deciding factor is the video card for all the 3D actions. You need the best video card your budge allows! Examples are STB Voodoo3 3500, ATI-128, and Matrox G400 with 16-32MB video memory. A DVD drive is a must these days. Depending on how the end-user plans to game you might need a network adapter or a modem. PC gaming is a lot of fun, so be sure design a computer that you can enjoy it for a long time. Do get a nice sound card. For game machines, do not even think about systems with integrated components such as video and audio. You will hate it when the next version of your favorite game is released.
If you are choosing a computer for normal office work, only the mid-range computer is necessary. I actually recommend Intel Celeron for workstations. Celeron is quite more inexpensive with less cache than their Pentium cousins but is almost equally powerful. You really do not need that much cache for word processing, spreadsheet, and e-mail. Consider 350-500MHz, 64MB, 4-8GB hard disk drive and 4-8GB video card