How To & More: Before you Buy a Computer

Laptop vs. Desktop PC

PC.com

Before you Buy a Computer

Extra-buttered popcorn or reduced sodium? Paper or plastic? Gas guzzling SUV or petite hybrid? laptop or desktop PC? Well, at least with the laptop or desktop question, we can provide some form of help.

Should I stay or should I go?

There are many arguments in favor of both the laptop and the desktop PC. Let's start with the laptop. Even if you don't see yourself taking a PC with you when you leave the house, and even if you don't feel the desperate need to check your email and surf the Web wherever you are, a laptop might still be a great option.

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Planning Your Dream PC

CNET.com

Before you Buy a Computer

Don't bust the budget A dream machine can have many incarnations, depending on how much money you truly are able to put into it. At some point along the configuration process, you're going to ask yourself the question, "Do I really need this particular item in my machine?" It can be a high-end video card, HD-ready display, etc. The first thing you need to decide on is essentials. You should write (or type) the absolute must-haves for your machine. This list will differ with everyone, depending on what you'll be using the computer for.

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Considering Your Laptop-Buying Options

Provided by "For Dummies"

Before you Buy a Computer

Desktop computers won their fame by being expandable. Laptop computers won their fame by sacrificing expandability for portability; you don't buy a laptop with the notion of "upgrading it later." You buy a laptop to have a computer anywhere you are: in a plane flying across the country, in a coffee shop, or in a bungalow over the lagoon in Bora Bora. All the technical descriptions of a desktop computer apply to laptops as well: microprocessor, RAM, and disk storage, for example.

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What Does Your Laptop Say About You?

NOTCOT

Before you Buy a Computer

So you're shopping for the perfect laptop, and you love to relax and work at your local cafe... your cafe that often resembles a portable computer lab. (Have you seen how some people even bring their DESKTOPS in to Starbucks? While we all try not to judge, lets be honest, your laptop makes a big first impression. Are you the mac guy? Are you the PC guy? Do you have hundreds of stickers for your favorite bands, favorite companies, custom made stickers, or your school and clubs? Is your laptop completely dinged and filthy?

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Picking a Computer Display

PC.com

Before you Buy a Computer

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the monitor screen must be the window to the computer. Most of your interaction with the computer depends on the screen, but how do you choose among the hundreds of options? Stick around, and we'll help you make sense of the many features available. You should be able to find a display that will meet basic needs for $100 or so, although you can easily spend $500 or more on a larger and more sophisticated one. Sleek flatness has replaced boxy fatness.

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Deciding Between a CRT and an LCD Monitor

Provided by "For Dummies"

Before you Buy a Computer

Nothing introduces you to the time-honored computer theme of using three-letter acronyms (TLAs) better than computer graphics. For the hardware, fortunately, only two TLAs are worth knowing: CRT and LCD. These terms describe the two basic types of monitors now available. CRT stands for cathode ray tube, which is the glass part of any traditional TV set or computer monitor, as illustrated in Figure 1. The advantage of CRT monitors is that they're inexpensive.

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