Buying a Desktop Computer

Buying a Desktop Computer – December 2008

Do you need more computing power in your home or office?  If portability is not an issue, a desktop computer can provide much more power at half the price of a laptop.  In the following article I will discuss what you need to consider when purchasing a desktop.  I will also make recommendations of what to select for the best price point for a computer that can be used for Internet access, running Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) and burning your photos and home movies on DVDs.

Microsoft Windows:

Windows 7 is the most current version of the Window’s operating systems.  The three retail versions of the software are Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate.  For all versions there is a choice between a 32-bit and 64-bit edition.  The least expensive choice is Windows Home Premium 32-bit edition and this should be adequate to run the programs discussed in this newsletter.  Before making a purchase check with us to ensure any peripherals that will be attached to your computer, such as printers, are compatible with Windows 7.

Processors:

The progression of power and price of Intel process is as follows (from lowest power and price to highest power and price): Celeron, Pentium Dual Core, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Extreme, Core i7, Core i7 Extreme.  We recommend the Pentium Dual Core. To save money, AMD manufactures a similar chip called the AMD Athlon 64 x2.

Memory

Between 2GB to 4GB is recommended.  Memory is cheap and has a huge impact on the speed of your PC, so I recommend spending a little extra and getting 4GB.

Hard Drive

Standard sized hard drives range from 160GB to 320GB. A smaller drive should not be a deal breaker unless you plan to store pictures and videos on your computer as they take a lot of space.

Network and Internet Connectivity

If you want to access the Internet wirelessly, make sure your computer includes a Wi-Fi card that is IEEE 802.11b/g compatible.  If you wish to access the Internet through an existing network or just connect to the network to share files and printers, make sure your computer includes an Ethernet 10/100 network card.

Monitor and Monitor Connectors

If you plan to use an existing monitor for your new computer, make sure the video connection on the new computer is compatible.  There are currently three common video standards, so physically check the pin configuration on your monitor to make sure it matches the video connector on the new computer.  The three video standards are VGA (15 pins), HDMI (19 pins) and DVI (29 pins).  A decent 19 inch monitor can be purchased for a couple of hundred dollars.

CD/DVD Drives

Make sure the description of the DVD drive include +-RW (the + and – may have a slash between them or appear on the same line.)  This indicates that you can write to a disk multiple times and the drive is supported by the most popular manufacturers.  Dual Layer or Double Layer in the description indicates a capacity of 7.95GB.  If this is not specified, the drive can hold 4.7GB.

Warranty

1 year parts and labor including In Home Service is standard.

USB 2.0 Ports

USB ports are used to connect additional devices such as external hard drives.  The more the better.  Make sure your keyboard and mouse do not take all the available slots.

Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware Software

We recommend the AVG product line and are not big fans of security suites.

Productivity Software

Many times it may be cheaper to get software loaded on your PC at purchase.  Some common programs include:

Microsoft Office 2007:

Home and Student (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote)

Standard (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook)

Small Business (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook with Business Contact Manger, Accounting Express, Publisher)

Professional (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook with Business Contact Manger, Accounting Express, Publisher, Access)

Ultimate (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook with Business Contact Manger, Accounting Express, Publisher, Access, OneNote, Groove, InfoPath)

Microsoft Works 9.0 (word processor and spreadsheet that are compatible with Word and Excel, calendar, database)

Graphics Software:

The most popular  programs for working with photos and other graphics include: Photoshop Elements, Premium Elements and Photoshop

Other Options

If needed, make sure your system includes the following: speakers, 3.5” floppy drive, modem and media card reader.