Personal Computer Buyers Guide



Page posted in 2006

Here's an overview of the important features that make up a desktop PC.


Processor
A computer's processor, or Central Processing Unit (CPU), is its brain. Faster processors offer better performance - vital if you use your PC a lot, especially for gaming or video editing. Here are some processor terms:

MHz and GHz: Processor speed (also called CPU frequency) is measured in MHz and GHz (gigahertz and megahertz; 1GHz equals 1,000 MHz). Now most processors have CPU frequencies of 2.5 to 3.2GHz from AMD or Intel. If you're running Microsoft's latest Windows XP operating system, aim for a fast processor of 3GHz or more for best performance.


Intel Pentium and AMD Athlon/Duron/Sempron: Intel and Athlon are the two big makers of processors. Intel make Pentium processors and AMD make Athlon, Sempron and Duron processors. Intel works closely with Microsoft, so Intel Pentium processors are sometimes said to be better suited to Windows XP, but AMD processors ("chips") tend to be cheaper and are just as popular.

Intel and AMD describe the speed of their processors in different ways. Intel uses processor speed (eg, 3GHz) while AMD compares its processors to their Intel counterparts. So a 2.8GHz Intel Pentium processor is comparable to an AMD Athlon 2800+ processor.

Intel also makes the Celeron processor, a no-frills alternative to Pentium. It lacks the power of Pentium but costs much less.

Dual Processor: When you see "dual processor" it means that the computer has two CPUs. They can take turns working with data, so enable your desktop to run more efficiently. Intel's Hyperthreading (HT) technology allows 3GHz+ processors to work on two threads of data at once.

Hard Drive Size: Your computer's operating system and all your files and documents are stored on the hard drive, also known as hard disk. You only need a 20GB to 40GB hard drive for basic word processing and a few digital photos, but for high-resolution images, video or your entire music collection you’ll need at least 80GB.

You can access your desktop PC's hard drive and transfer data to and from it via a number of port ("bus") types, including USB and the much faster FireWire/IEEE 1394. You can use these ports to expand your hard drive capacity with an external hard drive, a hard disk that’s designed to sit outside the desktop box.

You now find hard drives in all sorts of gadgets as well as desktop PCs. You find them in MP3 players, PDAs, digital cameras and personal video recorders (PVRs, like Sky+). Samsung and Nokia produced the first hard drive mobile phones.

RAM Memory: Random Access Memory (RAM) is your computer's short-term memory. The more RAM a desktop has, the more efficiently it runs. For example, Windows XP requires at least 128MB RAM to run, though you'll probably need 256MB and will see better performance with 512MB RAM, 1GB RAM or more.
 

Common Components

Connection Ports Ports allow you to connect external devices to your computer - printer, scanner, digital camera, MP3 player or anything else that needs to transfer data to or from your PC. Most of today's desktop PCs have a high-speed USB 2.0 or FireWire (IEEE 1394) connection.

Ensure that your PC has enough ports of the right type for the devices you intend to plug in. Here are the different types of port you’ll see mentioned in listings:

Universal Serial Bus (USB): Fast and popular means of connecting USB peripherals like digital cameras and external hard drives.

Firewire/IEEE 1394: Newer and faster than USB, and commonly found on digital camcorders. If you have a DV cam, make sure that you buy a desktop with a Firewire port.

Parallel port: Found on older desktop PCs, typically for connecting to printer or scanner.

Serial ports: Mostly used for connecting to external modems and handheld computers/PDAs.
 

Drives and Burners

Previously the only drive you found on a desktop PC was a floppy disk drive, which allowed you to transfer a couple of Word documents to a floppy disk. But the vast majority have far more sophisticated drives that let you transfer huge amounts of data onto CD-RWs and DVDs for storage. Here are the main types:

CD-ROM drive: Reads CDs that play music or contain software.

CD-RW drive: Can "write to" (record on) a blank CD as well as reading it. Useful for saving MP3 files onto disk, or for storing lots of data.

DVD drive: A DVD has up to 4.7GB of data storage capacity, much more than a CD-ROM, so you can save an enormous amount of data to free up your desktop’s hard drive. Can play films as well as reading CDs.

DVD+/-RW burner: Multimedia fans should look for a computer with a DVD+/-RW drive to back up data, create music CDs or burn video to DVD. A combination DVD+RW/-RW burner can write to the popular DVD+RW and DVD-RW media formats
 

Networking

If you have broadband Internet or home network, 10/100 Ethernet Card. These cards come as standard on most new PCs.

Software Most desktop PCs come pre-loaded with a full operating system and other software such as an internet browser (usually Microsoft Internet Explorer) and an email client such as Microsoft Outlook. The best-known full software suite is Microsoft Office, which offers a comprehensive range of utilities including word processing and spreadsheets. Also look for anti-virus software such as Norton Internet Security or Panda Antivirus, desktop publishing packages such as Corel Draw and Adobe Pagemaker and operating systems such as Windows XP, Linux and Mac OS. Make sure that your computer is compatible with the software before you buy.
 

Upgrading

Upgrading means replacing an older system with more recent hardware or software to bring the computer up to date and improve its efficiency. Common hardware upgrades include additional RAM, larger hard drives, improved graphics cards and cards to enable faster external connections. For example, you can buy a 1GB RAM stick to increase your computer’s memory or add a FireWire (IEEE 1394) card or USB 2.0 card for fast data transfer to and from your MP3 player or camcorder.

Software upgrades, including operating system upgrades, can often be downloaded from the Internet. Often the download is a “patch”, which means it doesn’t contain the whole new software version, just the new features. Patches usually enable better security (for example, Microsoft regularly issues Windows XP security patches) or improved functionality.

When upgrading hardware such as RAM, make sure the new hardware is compatible with your desktop PC. Before you bid, check with the seller that the PC can be upgraded and ask them to include the computer's instruction manual.


 

Choosing Your Ideal Desktop PC

Step 1: Decide How You'll Use Your PC
Think about why you want a PC. If it's for hobbies like computer games, video editing and music management, your computer will need features like a graphics or video card, plenty of memory (1GB RAM or more), lots of hard drive space (80GB or more) and a fast processor of 3GHz or more. You may also be interested in components like Ethernet cards for wireless access and DVD/CD-RW writers.

However if you just want to update your CV and check personal emails, basic processor (less than 700MHz), less hard drive space (40GB or so) and memory of 128MB-512MB will be adequate - and you'll save a lot of money.

To help narrow the field, work out what kind of user you are.

Occasional Home PC User
You use your desktop PC for word processing, checking emails, online shopping, basic digital photo editing and transferring data to and from gadgets like your MP3 player. Here's what to look for:

* Processor: Faster than 800MHz, typically by Intel Pentium or AMD Athlon/Duron/Sempron

* Hard Drive: 40GB or more

* Memory (RAM): 512MB or more

* Software: Microsoft Office or Microsoft Works

* Utilities: Anti-virus software such as Norton Internet Security

* Ports: USB 2.0 and FireWire (also called IEEE 1394)

* Writer: CD-RW or DVD burner

* Wireless Networking: 10/100 Ethernet Card



Home Office PC User
You want to bring your work home with you, so require absolute reliability. You’re also a regular Internet user.

* Processor: Faster than 800MHz, typically by Intel Pentium or AMD Athlon/Duron/Sempron

* Hard Drive: 100GB or more

* Memory (RAM): 1GB or more

* Software: Microsoft Office, plus accounting software such as Microsoft Money

* Utilities: Anti-virus software such as Norton Internet Security

* Ports: USB 2.0 and FireWire (also called IEEE 1394)

* Writer: CD-RW or DVD writer for DVD+RW/-RW

* Wireless Networking: 10/100 Ethernet Card



Multimedia Power PC
User You love digital photography, music or video.

* Processor: Faster than 3.0GHz, typically by Intel Pentium or AMD Athlon/Duron/Sempron

* Hard Drive: 100GB or more Memory

* (RAM): 2GB or more

* Software: CDRW and DVD-burning software such as Nero 6, plus video editing software such as Pinnacle Studio or Adobe Premier

* Utilities: Anti-virus software such as Norton Internet Security Ports: USB 2.0 and FireWire (also called IEEE 1394)

* Writer: CDRW or DVD writer for DVD+RW/-RW

* Wireless Networking: 10/100 Ethernet Card

* Sound Card: PCI (internal) card such as Sound Blaster Live or USB card/adaptor such as the Sony PCLKMN10

* Video Card: Either an AVG type card from NVIDIA or a PCI card such as the 128MB Radeon 9800 Pro.


Computer Gamer
You want your desktop PC to be a 3D games machine with super-fast Internet access for online gaming.

* Processor: 3GHz Intel Pentium 4 with Hyperthreading or equivalent AMD Athlon 64 or Athlon XP

* Hard Drive: 80GB or more Memory

* (RAM): 1GB or more

* Utilities: Anti-virus software such as Norton Internet Security

* Ports: USB 2.0 and FireWire (also called IEEE 1394)

* Burner: CD-RW/DVD-ROM

* Wireless Networking: 10/100 Ethernet Card

* Sound Card: PCI (internal) card such as Sound Blaster Live or USB card/adaptor such as the Sony PCLKMN10. Gamers should look for the Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro, which supports 16-bit audio and includes microphone, inputs for speakers or headphones and a line-in for audio devices.

* Video Card: At least AGP 8x or PCI Express ATI Radeon, NVIDIA GeForce or 3dfx Voodoo3.




Step 2: Do you need a PC hard drive or complete system?
When you say "my computer" you probably mean the whole system - hard drive, monitor, speakers, keyboard and mouse. But the PC (personal computer) is actually just the hard drive. If you're happy with your existing monitor and keyboard, just buy a PC hard drive in desktop or tower form (towers are desktops that stand on their side).

You can upgrade different parts of your computer system later. For example, you can add the latest monitor, mouse or keyboard and even add components such as a DVD writer or external USB drives. Dell, IBM, Fujitsu-Siemens, Athlon and HP are among the popular makers of components and parts.

If you want to buy or replace a full computer kit at once, consider getting a complete system. You'll find a full range on online shops, from basic systems right up to high-end brand name multimedia centres with full Windows XP operating systems, more than 2GB RAM memory and over 100GB hard drive capacity. These systems often come from brands like Sony, HP and Compaq, and boast powerful 3GHz+ processors from Intel Pentium or AMD Athlon, Duron or Sempron. They also have features like USB 2.0 and FireWire ports, DVD and CDRW writers and wireless Ethernet cards – plus the very latest Logitech keyboards and flat-screen monitors. Some sellers even include printers or scanners.

The disadvantage of buying a full system altogether is that you can't choose your preferred individual parts - you take what's included. However, the bundle costs less than you'd pay for the separate parts.

Step 3: Decide whether you want a brand name
Buying a computer from reputable specialists IBM, Dell, Sony, HP, Athlon or Compaq brings peace of mind, but you pay more for a famous name. A generic desktop PC costs less for the same hardware and capability.

Tip: IBM, Dell, Sony, HP and Compaq make PCs, not Macs. PCs are desktop computers that use Microsoft's Windows operating system. If you want to use the Mac operating system from Apple Macintosh (who also make the iPod), you'll need to buy a Mac computer. Read on to find out more.




Choosing Your Operating System: Windows vs Mac

PCs are often a reference to computers running on the Windows operating system (OS). But Microsoft's Windows is not the only OS available - many users prefer an Apple desktop that runs the Macintosh operating system ("Mac" for short). Both operating systems have strengths and weaknesses, and the one that suits you depends on what you want from a computer.

Generally speaking, Windows PCs work better with the Internet and business applications, while Macs are better for graphics and are widely used in publishing.

Tip: While most desktop computers come with an operating system installed, some don't. If you want to plug in your computer and use it straight away, make sure it has an installed OS.

Windows Operating System (PC)
Microsoft's Windows operating system was developed in 1985 for IBM PCs, as a rival to Apple Macintosh. Mac may have come first, but 95 per cent of desktop computers now have Windows operating systems. Most PCs with Windows ready-installed contain Intel Pentium processors.

You'll find PCs with all sorts of Windows operating systems, including Windows 95, 98, ME and 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista.
 

Mac: Apple Macintosh OS
Mac OS, which stands for Macintosh Operating System, was the first operating system with a user-friendly visual interface for "normal people". Microsoft liked what it saw, produced a similar product called Windows, and now dominates the market.

But the Mac is still going strong, especially since Apple created its stylish iMac desktop computer and produced the iPod. Apple Macs are still favoured by music, video and graphics enthusiasts. They come installed with lots of useful features and software.