The range of choices when you start to shop for a computer can be daunting, but it's really pretty simple to narrow down the choices, if you know how.
We'll help you decide what you need, what to look for, and how to get it.
Simplify life. Focus on just a few things. Even though computers have many parts, the good news is that manufacturers have already put many of them into ready-to-use combinations for you. All you really need to do is decide how much computing power you need. Think of computing power as having three key parts: processor, memory, and hard drive.
- Processor: the engine that gets you there. The processor (aka CPU) handles the information that lets the computer do work. To understand how a more powerful processor will affect your computing experience, think of it as being similar to an engine. Any size engine will get you from point A to point B, but a jet will get you there much faster than a lawn mower will. On your computer, tasks such as photo retouching and video editing are driven by more demanding software so you'll need more CPU horsepower to carry the heavier load. The "lawn mower" version may not cut it. For more information on finding the right processor, check out the article "Processor Speed: The Need for Serious Speed"
- Memory: a holding tank for what the computer is thinking right now. The computer's memory (aka RAM or Random Access Memory) is a temporary place to store information that the computer is using for whatever tasks it is doing. RAM constantly replaces its contents with new information as the processor moves on to new jobs. And when the power is turned off, it empties itself. To understand how more memory can improves performance, think of it as the gas tank for the engine. The more gas (in the tank) that an engine has available without having to stop at a gas station, the faster it will get to its destination. Likewise, the more information (in memory) that the processor has available without having to stop and get more from the hard drive, the faster it can finish its work. If you use a lot of applications at one time, you'll want to look for a new system with at least 1 to 2 GB of RAM
- Hard drive: long-term storage. This is where you store files, like photos, documents, and music. This information stays put, even when the power is shut off, until you erase it. So that recording you made of Aunt Agnes's harmonica recital will be available for future generations. Think about the gas tank analogy again. Having a bigger gas tank doesn't make your car go any faster, but you can go further. Similarly, having a bigger hard drive doesn't ordinarily make the computer run any faster, but it does give you a place to store more files like music, photos, documents, and video. You can even have more than one hard drive on your computer, which is like having an extra gas tank in your car, for lots of extra capacity.
What kind of a person are you, anyway?
"Great," you may say (possibly rolling your eyes), "but I don't really have a favorite processor in mind, and how much RAM and hard drive space do I need?" Well, you've come to the right place. Do any of the following people sound like you? Go ahead–pick one:
- The casual surfer uses a computer mostly for e-mail and the Web, and possibly to keep track of finances, catalog recipes, and play solitaire. You're a casual surfer if you don't plan to extend your computer use into new frontiers anytime soon, and you don't need anything flashy.
- The mainstream user has higher requirements than the casual surfer. This person may use several pieces of software at once and likes to retouch photos, edit digital video, and maybe play games occasionally. You're a mainstream user if you're interested in trying new things on your computer, and you want your computer powerful enough to last for a while.
- The entertainment seeker wants to put the computer in the living room and bring on the high-definition TV, music, and video on demand. You're an entertainment seeker if you're serious about performance, and also want to be sure the computer will be able to handle more and more functions as you dream up new things for it to do.
- The hard-core gamer seldom sees the sun, preferring to spend time in the glow of the computer screen, roaming a virtual universe and blasting aliens. You're a hard-core gamer if you want the fastest, coolest, most powerful machine you can find, and you're willing to live on ramen noodles to pay for it.
Match your persona to a computer.
So which one are you (we're not saying you fit exactly into one category or another, but just play along)? Based on your persona, you can get a reasonable idea of what kind of processor, memory, and hard drive you need. Just match your persona with the appropriate column in the table, and you should be ready to do some shopping:| Casual Surfer | Mainstream User | Entertainment Seeker | Hard-core Gamer | |
| Processor (CPU) | Intel® Celeron® processor (good) or Dual-Core Intel® Pentium® processor (better) | Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor | Intel Core 2 Duo processor (excellent) or Intel® Core™ 2 Quad processor (even better) | Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor (gnarly) |
| Memory | 1 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Hard Drive | 150 GB | 300 GB | 500 GB or more | 300 GB |
Parting shot: What about graphics?
Your computer will have hardware that's dedicated to drawing the pictures on your screen. For graphics capabilities, the most economical route is to choose a system with embedded (built-in) graphics, so you don't have to buy a separate graphics adapter (which plugs into a slot inside the case). Embedded graphics will do a great job for most users, although hard-core gamers will probably want to buy a screaming-fast graphics adapter.
