 Buying a Desktop
Personal Computer System
A computer system, like a house, should match its ownerís needs.
Therefore, when deciding what desktop computer system to buy and what components
that system should have, first think about what you want to do with the
computer. In fact, if you are not already quite familiar with computer
hardware, you might begin by making a list of typical tasks for which you
plan to use the computer. Then find a knowledgeable person to advise you
on a system for carrying out those tasks. Be warned, however, that as you
become more familiar with computers, you will doubtless discover new hoops
that you want to put your computer through, and these are likely to require
system expansions or modifications. As a rule of thumb, purchase a system
that is a bit better than the one that you think you need. That way, the
system will be able to meet your changing (and growing) demands on it.
Deciding on a Platform
When people start thinking about buying a computer system, the first decision
that they need to make is which platform to adopt. For most users, the
choice will be between the Mac or PC platforms. In the old days (way
back in the 1980s), the differences between Macs and PCs were considerable.
PCs running the DOS operating system were ideal for business applications,
such as writing memos in WordPerfect or creating spreadsheets in Lotus
1-2-3, but they were relatively difficult to use and had, for beginners,
a steep learning curve. Macs, with their superb graphical user interfaces
and plug-and-play performance, were ideal for nontechnical types, especially
those who wished to create graphics or to do page layouts.
These days, however, the distinctions between Macs and PCs have become
quite blurred. Contemporary PCs generally run Windows, a superb graphical
user interface, and are every bit as good as Macs for graphics and page
layout. Furthermore, PCs have come a long way toward being plug-and-play.
Most PCs today come with the Windows operating system and a number of applications
already installed, and Windows setup wizards make adding new devices and
software relatively easy. Furthermore, transferring files from PCs to Macs
and vice versa isnít, today, the Herculean task that it was years ago.
Still, many people reasonably make the platform decision based on the ease
with which they can transfer files to other machines that they use. If
you use a PC or a Mac at work or at school, you may want to get the same
kind of machine for home as well so that you can run the same applications
and use the same files in both places.
Another consideration that enters into the platform decision is which
platform your friends and acquaintances use. In these days of limited and
often expensive technical support, having a pal who knows your system,
one who can help with the problems that you will inevitably encounter,
is an enormous boon. If you have a good friend who is a Mac guru, then
you might consider getting a Mac yourself. If your computer geek friend
is a PC whiz, then a PC might make more sense.
Many people have strong feelings about which system, Mac or PC, is preferable,
but such feelings usually derive from an earlier time when the two platforms
were as different as apples and the deep blue sea. These days, you can
pretty much do anything on one platform that you can do on the other. Major
applications come in both Mac and PC varieties, although the predominance
of PCs does mean somewhat more variety in the software available for that
platform.
Starting with a Minimal System
One way to approach thinking about what system to buy is to begin with
a minimal system and then add components to meet specific needs, as your
budget allows. A minimal system for most users today would be as follows:
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Processor: Pentium or equivalent (PC) or PowerMac
(Macintosh)
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Data bus: 32-bit
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Clock speed: 133 MHz
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Modem: 28.8 K, Hayes compatible fax modem
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Hard drive: 1 GB, internal
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CD-ROM drive: 4x
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RAM: 16 MB
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Operating system: Windows 95 (PC) or Mac OS 7.5
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Monitor: 14- or 15-inch, 8-bit color (SVGA on PC platform)
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Keyboard: 101-key (PC) or Extended keyboard (Mac)
-
Mouse (2-key on PC platform)
If at all possible, purchase a computer with the most recent processor
and the fastest clock speed that you can find. Today it is possible to
purchase machines running Pentium II processors at 300 MHz. Such machines
will fly through most applications and will meet the challenges provided
by new applications for some years to come.
Given the size of contemporary operating systems and applications, 16
megabytes of RAM is the minimum with which you are likely to be comfortable.
Most modems sold today cost under $200 and can send and receive faxes
as well as ordinary data communications. It is still possible to buy a
14.4 K modem, but such devices are excruciatingly slow for Internet access.
If you plan to spend a lot of time online, you should definitely consider
spending a little more and buying at least a 28.8 K modem.
A 1-gigabyte hard drive might seem quite large, but a single installation
of a computer game or an office suite (including a word processor, a spreadsheet,
a presentation program, and a database) may require well over 100 megabytes
of storage space, and both applications and the files that they produce
are growing. If you settle for a smaller hard drive, you are likely to
find that sometime in the near future, you will have to delete some valuable
files and applications from your system to make room for new material.
Most personal computer systems sold today ship with an internal CD-ROM
drive, a valuable device for all computer users because many software manufacturers
no longer ship their software on floppies but rather ship CD-ROMs that
can accommodate the large sizes of contemporary applications. A 4x CD-ROM
drive is adequate for most purposes, and most systems sold today include
drives that are at least this fast.
The chances are good that whatever system you buy will already have
an operating system loaded on it. Avoid purchasing a computer with an older
operating system unless you want to run into compatibility problems with
new software. (By the same token, switching immediately to a newly released
operating system, such as Windows 98 or Mac OS 8, without waiting for applications
and hardware to catch up to these systems and for the bugs in them to be
identified and corrected, can also create problems. You can always upgrade
to a new operating system for minimal cost a few months down the line.)
A 14-inch, 8-bit color monitor is the standard-issue minimum for most
desktop systems. An 8-bit color monitor will display 256 different colors.
Not listed above, but highly recommended, is a backup storage device.
It is possible to back up your operating system, applications, and data
onto floppy diskettes, but given the size of todayís applications, doing
so can be time-consuming. Furthermore, floppy diskettes are not the most
reliable of media. Various inexpensive backup solutions exist. Some people
purchase another hard drive, internal or external, and back up their software
to that. Others use a tape drive or an inexpensive device with removable
media, such as a ZIP or Jaz drive.
Adding the Bells and Whistles
Starting with the minimum system, you can upgrade your shopping list based
upon the use to which you plan to put the computer. Here are some guidelines:
If you plan to use your computer to view large pages, such as spreadsheets,
database records, or page layouts, then you will need a bigger monitor,
a 17- or 20-inch one at least.
If you will be doing a lot of graphics work, then you will want a high-resolution
24-bit color monitor, a graphics accelerator card, plenty of storage space,
and lots of RAM to accommodate your large files. (Adobe, the manufacturer
of the widely used image-editing program PhotoShop, recommends that you
install RAM equal to three times the size of the largest files with which
you will be working.)
If you plan to play a lot of computer games, then you will need a joystick
and a fast CD-ROM drive (a 12x, 16x, or 24x drive would be ideal). For
games with 3-D graphics, for 3-D drawing programs, and for VRML browsing,
a 3-D accelerator card is recommended. If you wish to run high-end games
or other multimedia applications on a PC, a Pentium processor with MMX
technology or a Pentium II is also a good idea.
If you plan to do math-intensive applications, such as 3-D rendering,
generating graphs of mathematical formulae, or spreadsheet work, then a
math co-processor (which is usually installed as an option) will speed
your work up considerably.
People who spend a lot of time on the Internet will appreciate an investment
in a 33 K modem. Faster 56 K modems are available at reasonable cost, but
some Internet Service Providers do not as yet support these modems, so
check with your ISP before investing in one. If your local cable company
offers Internet access via cable modem, and if the price (generally around
$40.00 a month for unlimited cable modem access) is acceptable to you,
then you may want to avail yourself of this extremely fast and relatively
inexpensive high-bandwidth solution. However, you will still want a conventional
modem, as well, for ordinary data communications and faxes.
Keyboards and input devices come in many varieties, so you will want
to do some experimenting to see which of the many alternatives is most
comfortable for you. Some people love track balls and track pads, those
alternatives to mice. Other people hate them. Illustrators will find a
digitizing pen and tablet a powerful tool, if not a necessity. If possible,
play before you pay. Go to a computer store, to your local computer userís
group, or to a service bureau or print shop that rents computer time and
try out the various input devices that they have available. Be warned,
however, that all input devices take some getting used to.
If you plan to hook your computer to a network, then contact your network
administrator for information on how to configure the machine. If, for
example, you will be hooking the machine up to an Ethernet network, then
you will have to install an Ethernet card and port.
If you literally want to have bells and whistles on your computer, if
you plan to run movies or multimedia applications, or if you want to listen
to audio CDs or do anything else that involves sound, then a sound card
is a must. A safe bet, for PC users, is to buy a SoundBlaster Pro or compatible
card. If you wish to compose and edit music, then you will want to invest
in a MIDI keyboard, program, cabling, and software. Consult a MIDI dealer
for details.
On the PC side, the Multimedia PC Working Group of the Software Publisherís
Association sets minimum standards for PCs that will be used for multimedia
applications. The most recent standard, MPC 3, set
in 1995, requires the following:
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Processor: Pentium or equivalent processor
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Clock speed: 75 MHz
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Floppy drive
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Hard drive: 540 MB
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CD-ROM drive: 4x, with 600 Kbps transfer rate and 250 ms average access
time
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Sound board: 16-bit, with 44.1 KHz sampling frequency
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RAM: 8 megabytes
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MPEG video playback
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SVGA 16-bit monitor with 640 x 480 resolution
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101-key keyboard
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Ports: Serial, parallel, MIDI I/O, and joystick
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Two stereo speakers with 3 watts per channel
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Windows 3.11 operating system
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2-button Mouse
Bear in mind, however, that the MPC 3 specification is a few years old
and is a minimum specification. If you plan to run a lot of multimedia
applications, you will be much happier with a 1- or 2-GB hard drive, 32
or 64 MB of RAM, Windows 95, an 8x or 12x CD-ROM player, and a 17- or 20-inch
monitor.
Where to Purchase Your System
Wherever you buy your computer system, make sure that you ask for documentation
in writing of their warranty, return, technical support, and repair policies.
If something goes wrong, and such is often the case with personal computer
systems, you want to make sure that the problem can be corrected promptly.
Computer systems can be purchased from many places. Common places from
which to purchase systems include manufacturers, mail-order or online catalog
stores, local dealers, computer superstores, general-merchandise chain
stores, resellers, and ìbuild-your-ownî stores. Small, local computer dealers
tend to have the highest prices but also commonly have the most knowledgeable
personnel and the best service. When considering a computer purchase, itís
nice to have a real person, available locally, with whom you can discuss
your needs and to whom you can turn if something goes wrong.
Mail-order companies often have low prices, but beware of bargain-basement
pricing. If the deal sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
General-merchandise department stores often carry computers at low prices,
but as one might expect, the personnel in these stores lack the expertise
to guide purchasers in their decisions.
Buying directly from the manufacturer can help to ensure that you have
the latest model, but the most recent machines also tend to have the highest
prices, and manufacturers vary considerably in the quality of their customer
service and in their warranty, return, and repair policies. Before buying
any computer, read reviews of the hardware and of the manufacturerís customer
satisfaction ratings. Such reviews are regularly published in computer
magazines and on the Internet.
If price is an important issue for you, as it is for most purchasers,
you might consider buying a used or refurbished machine from a reseller.
Refurbished machines are often as good as new ones and cost a lot less,
but be wary. Thereís nothing worse than getting a machine home and having
the ancient ìreconditionedî hard drive inside it die a few weeks later.
(Again, make sure that the CPU and its components come with reasonable
warranties.)
These days, in most urban areas, there are dealers who specialize in
ìbuild-your-ownî computers. These dealers will put together a system to
your specifications, using parts from various manufacturers. Having a computer
built to your specs can ensure that it will meet your needs, but make sure
that the dealer uses quality components and has a good reputation.
Some people still have concerns about the security of purchases over
the Internet, although such purchases are at least as secure as credit
card purchases made over the telephone. If you decide to purchase a machine
via the Internet from a manufacturer or from a mail-order company, make
sure that the company with which you are dealing is well known and respected.
The chances are good that a reliable Internet computer dealer will offer
a variety of payment options.
Many manufacturers, these days, offer lease plans to business and to
individuals. Of course, the interest on leases brings up the eventual cost
considerably, but purchasing a system by installment is one way of bringing
the purchase within a moderate budget. Some manufacturers offer lease plans
that enable you to trade in a computer every year or two for a newer model.
Such plans can help to ensure that you will always be working on a state-of-the-art
machine.
Which Makes Should You Buy?
Generally speaking, it is a good idea to go with well-known, respected
manufacturers. On the PC side, there are many different manufacturers of
high-quality machines. Unfortunately, there is no substitute for first
coming up with a list of minimum requirements for the system that you want
and then comparing the prices and specifications of systems from various
manufacturers that meet these minimum requirements.
With regard to add-ons such as modems, sound cards, and 3-D accelerator
cards, it is common for there to be de facto standards (set by the marketplace
rather than by a standards committee) that have emerged because of the
dominance of one manufacturer. What you want to avoid is buying a modem,
sound card, 3-D accelerator card, or other component that will then be
incompatible with these de facto standards. Consult a knowledgeable person
if you have any doubt about whether any product that you are planning to
buy will be widely compatible with other software and hardware.
Specifying a System to Meet Your Needs
Clicking the dollar sign below will take you to a page containing a chart
that you can fill out to list the specifications of a PC system to meet
your needs. Print the page, follow the directions on it, and happy shopping!
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