Jay's Guide to buying a Desktop PC

Basic Users:

Buying a Used PC vs. New

Don't buy a used computer, I don't recommend them anymore.  In fact, I stopped selling used computers almost two years ago when the cost of buying a used PC compared to a new one (with a rebate or on sale) became so very close in price.  Now days you can get a brand new PC with a printer and monitor included for free (with rebates!) for not much more then the price of a used computer.  You might spend an extra $100 in comparison,  but its well worth it if you don't have a problem with running Vista.  One reason you might want to buy a used PC is if you need a Windows XP machine, beyond that I don't see much advantage.

What do I need "inside" my PC?

The Processor 

The processor is the brains of your computer.  It does the real work. 

In the past it was all about speed!!!!!  You use to buy a computer based on how fast it was (for example 3.4GHz).  Not anymore!  Today its all about the number of processors that are squeezed into one chip (called multi-core processors). As they say, two heads are better than one. Two processors both running at 2GHz is faster then one processor running at 3GHz.  So look for the words Dual Core, Core Duo, Core Quad (4 processors!!) , or X2 . These are multi-core processors and that is what you want. Don't buy a single core processor (for example Pentium 4 - 3GHz, or AMD Sempron 3800+) , unless you are a very basic user and are not concerned with longevity.  Current and future software out there is being written to take advantage of these extra processing cores. Most new desktop processors now run between 2GHz and 3GHz (they have dropped in speed). Just look for any processors that are over 2GHz and you will be ok.  Intel processors are faster and better than AMD.  Go with Intel if you are an Advanced PC user.  Take a look at the Intel Core Duo or Core Quad.  Basic users can go with AMD.  AMD's Athlon 64 and Sempron, are cheaper.  For the non-Video tasking, or non-gaming PCs, you won't need the extra processing power of the Intel.  

The System Memory

If the processor is like the brains of your computer, then the System Memory is like its short term memory.  This is where the programs that you are currently working on get stored while you are working on them.  The more system memory you have, the more programs you can have open and running at the same time.  Windows Vista needs lots and lots of memory just for itself, so don't be skimpy.

I see some cheap PCs out there with only 512MB of RAM running on a Windows Vista Machine, beware!  For the Basic PC user you can get away with 512MB on Vista. for a little while, but you will have to upgrade the memory in a couple of years for sure.  Also note that you do not get some of the eye candy features that come with Vista, such as Aeros on 512MB machines.  The Aeros feature, with its see through windows, is disabled on Vista machines running  only 512MB of RAM. Windows Vista really requires 1GB or more of RAM for it to fully work properly, so you might want to have them add an extra 512MB to the machine before you take it home.  I advise for Vista, 1GB for Basic PC Users and 2GB - 4GB of RAM for the Advanced PC User.

If you are getting Microsoft Windows XP, then you will want 2GB for the Advanced PC User, and 1GB for the Basic PC User.  Windows XP can't do anything with more then 2GB so don't waste your money beyond that.   

Video/Graphics Card

The Graphics Card is what makes your computer see the world in its richest full colors.

For the Basic PC User this is not as important an issue as it is for the Advanced Power PC User.  Basic users can get away with onboard graphics built into the motherboard, it helps keep the cost down. With Vista Machines they need 256MB of memory on the graphics card (or shared system memory) to fully work properly. Most machines out there now are ok on graphics for the Basic User. 

For the Advanced PC User, look for a graphics card that comes separate from the motherboard, and with its own memory, not shared system memory.  Look for 256MB - 800MB of onboard graphics memory.  For heavy video editing and high end Gaming PCs its important to look for the most memory onboard you can afford.

Hard Drive

For the Basic User anything out there is going to be ok.  I would not worry about the hard drive.

For the Advanced PC User, if you are going to be doing video editing, or storing TV or Movies, then the more the better.  A minimum of 300GB is ok for just video editing, but go with 500GBs or more to store Movies and TV shows.  Don't forget that those high definition movies take more space!  Don't plan on saving a lot of these with a small hard drive.  The newest hard drives out there are now 1TB. (That's 1 Tera Byte, which is equal to 1000GB [Giga Bytes]) and you will need it to store very many of these big high def babies. 

PC Brand

There is no clear favorite these days.  I use to suggest Dell, but it has been slipping down hill till its the same as the others now  I suggest going by price and sales/rebates now, more then the brand when choosing. The top PC builders (Dell, HP, Gateway, Lenovo) are all about the same, but if I had to choose, I would go with HP first, then Dell, and then Gateway last for home users.  For business users I would go with Lenovo (IBM), then Dell, then HP and lastly Gateway.

Don't know what the heck I just said? That's OK.  You can call me before you buy, and I will help you go over it.  There's no charge for the phone call.  If you want me to go with you to help you pick one out, call me.