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Do I need a Home/Office PC, Business Server or Gamer PC?
It Does Make a Difference
Business Servers are different
 
How do I best choose a PC thats right for me?
Pricing
Clock Speed
3-D Performance and More
Workstations and Application Servers
Mini PC Best value
Gamer Extreme
 
How Much Should I Spend?
Power Users and Gamers: $3500 and Up
Mainstream: $1,200 to $2,200
Tight Budget: Under $1,000
Shipping Costs: About $60 to $100
 
How Should I Configure It?
Base Memory: 1GigaByte of RAM
80GB or Larger Hard Drive
Monitor: 17-Inch or Larger LCD
CDRW on a Budget, DVDRW Otherwise
Sound Card and Speakers
Almost Any 128MB Graphics Card
Removable Storage
 
What About Gaming?
Monitor: 21-inch LCD
3-D Sound Speakers
 
Should I Upgrade Instead?
New Motherboard's Best, but for Techies Only
CPU Upgrades Economical, if Limited
Check the Ports, Bays, and Expansion Slots
 
How Do I Get On the Web?
Internal 56Kbps Modem
Choose a Service Provider
 
What Software Comes With My PC?
Productivity
Internet Access
Education, Entertainment and Personal Finance
 
How Should I Pay?
Always Use a Credit Card
Avoid Restocking Fees
Leasing and loans don't always pay off
 
How Can I Choose a Reliable Brand?
Know Thy Warranty
Ask Other Buyers

Do I Want a Home/Office PC, Business Server or Gamer PC?

It Does Make a Difference

The fact is that the average home user who needs a general-purpose PC to go on the Internet and run productivity applications differs greatly from the computer Gamer or Business Server system. Indeed, the actual features in a Home/Office PC differ alot from what's found in business server pc. And at the extreme other end of the spectrum, such as a minor upgradable mini-box PC vs. a loaded Gamer's system with all the entertainment trappings that a business user would find superfluous. That said, if the PC is strictly for business, motherboard-based sound and graphics components are less important because there's little need to keep up with ever-more-powerful games.

Business Servers are different

Some vendors have corporate lines with unique manageability and security features that may be attractive to IT managers, such as software for helping network administrators track PC components over the network, Wake on LAN to remotely launch the PC from sleep mode, or case-intrusion alarms to prevent tampering with components. These systems include mulitple network components as a matter of course, and most have been qualified for mulitple LAN and WAN scenarios. Vendors tend to keep the configurations in these lines more consistent than their SOHO lines, for corporate tracking purposes. In a nutshell, corporate style Business Server PCs offer stable network-oriented configurations that also offer cutting-edge speed performances.

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How do I best choose a PC thats right for me?

Remember that power users would only settle for the following cpu's, P 4, Xeon, Athlon XP, and 64FX

Pricing: If you need cutting-edge power for demanding multimedia programs or games, and want to delay obsolescence for as long as possible, opt for a 3.6-GigaHertz clockspeed from INTEL—an attractive alternative at a lower price is a 2 GHz or faster AMD. For example, identically configured most power-user systems start around $2,500 and $2,900 respectively. Of course, you can pay significantly more or less depending on your configuration choices.

Mini PC Best Values: Those on a particularly tight budget (under $500) should opt for systems based on mini box models, available in various speeds. Like the new, ShuttleX fits almost anywhere and saves desk space because of it's mini design. Most of systems include all that you get in a Tower desktop as well as sharp AGP video connections for your sharp LCD flat screen monitors. It's great for everyday applications running Windows XP, the mini box PC are not at all short on performance for the given price.

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How Much Should I Spend?

Power Users and Gamers: $3500 and Up

Systems that include the latest graphics cards, and larger hard drives, LCD monitors can easily cost over $2,500. But performance-conscious buyers can also find much the same trimmings in the $2,000 to $3,00 range if they choose a moderate style CPU. The lower end of the spectrum includes slightly smaller hard drives and 4GB of RAM, which is all most users really need. Some systems may swap out smaller capacity hard drives for faster model drives.

Mainstream: $1,200 to $2,500

Mainstream PCs powered by middle class CPUs offer today's best price/performance values. These include Intel's P4 and AMD's Athlon. The Celeron can also be a good value in this range. Expect to pay between $1,200 to $2,200 for a system with a typical 17-inch monitor, DVD drive, 2GB of RAM, and at least 80 GB of hard drive space. The higher-priced models include newer graphics cards, DVD burner drives, larger drives and more comprehensive software packages. But you can still keep the total price under $1,500 if you limit yourself to only one or two of these options. Beware configuration restrictions that force you to jump to a higher CPU (and consequently, price range) to get some other feature you really want.

Tight Budget: Under $1,000

It's easy to find high-quality systems, with a monitor, for under $1,000. However, you are generally dealing with older CPUs and last-generation components. Seniors, children, and people who simply want to get on the Internet or need a second PC are all candidates for this compromise. When possible, stick with a 1GHz or faster CPU, at least 512MB of RAM (1GB is even better), a CDR drive, and a 17-inch monitor. Many of these systems have 40GB or 60GB hard drives—small compared to today's typical 200GB minimum on mainstream systems, but still more than adequate for many. Gamers should beware that most of these systems have much older graphics cards that won't take on the latest games.

Shipping Costs: About $60 to $100

Don't assume that the seller who has the lowest price will cost you the least overall. If getting the lowest price is your top priority, after searching on computershopper.com contact several vendors and verify the shipping charges and sales tax before buying. The typical shipping charge for a system with monitor ranges from $60 to $100. These charges are also non-refundable, so don't buy a system casually with the intent to return unless you're willing to swallow the shipping cost.

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How Should I Configure It?

Base Memory: 1GB of RAM

How Much RAM?: The more applications you run simultaneously, the larger the files you load, and the more complex your operating system, the more RAM you'll need. Too little memory can undermine a fast processor, forcing it to retrieve data from the much slower hard drive. For Windows XP productivity applications, or a base-level Windows 2000 Professional operating system, 1GB is fine; you can get away with 512MB in an entry-level upgradable motherboard system, but don't let anyone ever try to sell you a 4GB system. Because RAM's relatively expensive, many retail sellers may tell you its common as speed standard for software application features—nice but not worth insisting on for most people applicaiton needs.

80GB or Larger Hard Drive

IDE vs. SATA: The vast majority of business and home machines come with IDE drives that plug into the connectors on the system's motherboard and require no additional controllers. They also offer the lowest cost per Gigabyte drives. SATA drives cost more than IDE drives on a per-gigabyte basis and require the added cost of a controller card, but they offer easier expandability. (You can attach easy plug n plag drivers per SATA controller than per IDE controller.) Also as a quick note SCSI drives are ideal for network servers and RAID configurations, but on the standard desktop PC, they are more difficult to configure.

Monitor: 17-Inch or Larger LCD

15 Inches Minimum: Now that even under-$1,000 PCs are shipping with 17-inch monitors, it's worth the money to upgrade. If you can't afford the jump, just be sure to avoid older 15-inch LCD and CRTs.

CDRW on a Budget, DVDRW Otherwise

CDRW or DVDRW? DVDRW is an increasingly compelling alternative to CDRW. Many systems come with CDRW, and many users will find the extra $49 to $160 cost premium over CDRW a worthwhile investment to avoid obsolescence as DVDRW gains momentum. The higher-priced units generally include improved DVD burning options.

Speakers: Most vendors offer inexpensive upgrades from their basic two-speaker configurations to three-piece systems with better satellites and a subwoofer (sometimes referred to as the ".1" component). If you go the DVD-ROM route, consider upgrading to a six-piece system (5.1) separately for the multichannel surround-sound effect.

Almost Any 128MB Graphics Card

Everyday Applications: When it comes to everyday 3-D graphics performance, most motherboards already come ready geared to give you a fine video experience. Chipsets from ATI, nVidia are all reasonable choices for gaming and everyday computing, as long as they're coupled with at least 128MB RAM to handle lots of colors at high resolutions.

Removable Storage: CDRW or DVDRW

These drives offer easy storage expansion, an essential means of backup, and a simple way to share files—as long as your colleagues use the same format. More demanding storage needs require DVDRW drives, such as with burning on to RW+ and RW- 4.7GB discs. The advantage of the DVDRW drives is that most standard CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives can read the media (audio and video discs can also play in standard consumer CD and DVD players), and the discs have a lower out-of-pocket cost.

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What About Gaming?

Monitor: 21-inch LCD

Playing games on a 17-inch monitor is fine, but at less than $900, the upgrade to a 21-inch LCD display is a no-brainer for avid gamers. Some desktop vendors are offering upgrades to 24 inches from 21 inches for under $350.

3-D Sound, Speakers

You live longer when you can hear the mutants sneaking up behind you: that requires the realistic 3-D sound and other sound effects provided by such technologies as "environmental audio" as well as four properly placed speakers with a decent dynamic range.

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Should I Upgrade Instead?

New Motherboard's Best, but for Techies Only

Latest Technology for Better Performance: While CPU upgrades can boost performance, the surest way to take advantage of the latest CPU advantages short of buying a new system is to buy a new motherboard. This way, you get the latest chipset and any related features (a faster hard drive interface, for instance) and you don't have to worry about BIOS upgrades to match your CPU, or mismatches in the bus speed and the processor. (Many newer CPUs require 2 and 3 GHz speeds and memory that can respond accordingly.) In short, you get the whole enchilada at once. But even experts run into issues installing and configuring new motherboards for their existing peripherals. If you are leery of upgrading in any way, consider buying a CPU upgrade or even a new system.

Still Want to Do It? First, make sure the motherboard will fit into your system case. Motherboard form factors include fullATX, microATX, miniATX. Then take stock of the components you wish to migrate to the new system. If you'll have to throw away memory (moving from SDRAM to DDRs), graphics cards (AGP2x to AGP8x), or other outdated equipment, factor replacements into your cost. The older your original system, the more likely this will be an issue. Also decide whether you can live with any performance bottlenecks presented by the components you keep. For instance, a really old graphics card may blunt the force of your new CPU on certain applications, as can a slow hard drive.

CPU Upgrades Economical, if Limited

Easy Install: "CPU in a Retail box" are kits are specifically designed to try to make the install process seamless, and come with CPU fans, power cable connectors, automatic configuration utilities (to avoid setting jumpers), and even BIOS patches for select systems.

Check the chassis Ports, Bays, and Expansion Slots

If you plan to add additional drives and cards, take stock of the available bays and expansion slots in the system. For example, some motherboards with older PCI slots on the motherboard do not include the newer PCI express slots, preventing you from keeping pace with the latest developments. As for PC case external connections, make certain you have a least two USB2.0 i/o ports, Sound and Mic port, and a Firewire connector.

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How Do I Get on the Web?

Internal 56Kbps Modem

Standard Connection: Just about every desktop system ships with a 56Kbps modem that meets the V.90 standard supported by all the major ISPs and online services. You will usually connect at a speed somewhat slower than 56Kbps, however, depending how your phone line is connected to the phone company's central office.

Faster Connection: For buyers in select parts of the country, higher-speed Internet access is offered through digital-subscriber-line (DSL). TV cable providers offer a cable-modem option, which is more speed with less security than DSL.

What Software Comes With My PC?

Productivity

Just about all PCs include office-productivity applications of one sort or another, preferably in a suite. Consider the format used in your office when making a choice.

Internet Access

Many services (such as MSN, AOL, AT&T WorldNet) include their signup software as part of the operating system of Windows XP. Some vendors go further by providing their own step-by-step setup process to help you get connected.

Educations, Entertainment and Personal Finance

For a little bit extra, you can usually pick from software bundles targeted at various demographic groups, gamers, homeowners, or students.

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How Should I pay?

Always Use a Credit Card

You don't forfeit your rights as a consumer if you pay by check, money order, check card, or debit card, but you forfeit the most practical way to enforce those rights—credit-card companies' clout—if there's a problem with the product or its delivery. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you have 60 days from the occurrence of the problem in which to report the details in writing. No credit-card company guarantees it will solve every problem or issue a chargeback for every disputed purchase, but the power of the creditor is often the heaviest weapon you can wield. Many debit cards now limit your liability to $50 in the event of fraud, but the money is already out of your checking account. It's the same with checks and even worse with money orders—they're the equivalent of cash.

Avoid Restocking Fees

It's the sometimes shocking reason you should always read the fine print: Restocking fees—often 15 to 20 percent of your total purchase price—can take a big bite out of a money-back return policy. Be sure to ask about the existence and terms of any restocking policies before you buy. Often, different restocking fees apply to different types of products or even to different parts of a system purchase. PC hardware, for instance, might be returnable without a restocking fee, but bundled software may be subject to a fee or nonreturnable once opened.

Leasing and loans don't always pay off

Once the province of businesses looking for a tax benefit, leasing has become a means for some buyers to purchase computer products they couldn't otherwise afford. In general, borrowing is not a savvy way to buy a peripheral because their value depreciates so rapidly. Of course, borrowing/leasing is always more expensive than buying outright if you keep the product at the end. (Indeed, leasing works for businesses in part because they can trade in their products and lease new ones in bulk at the end of the day.) Before you borrow or lease, consider stepping down your feature requirements as well as calculating your total cost, including any buyout charges at the end of a lease.

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How Can I Choose A Reliable Brand?

Know Thy Warranty

All things being equal, a three-year warranty is obviously more attractive than a one-year warranty. But sometimes, a solid one-year plan—one that covers parts and labor on all components, not just some, and includes onsite service at your discretion rather than at the vendor's—can be better than three years of haggling and headaches. Ask for a thorough, preferably written, explanation of the company's warranty, including which contractor or subcontractor it uses to provide onsite service in your area. Ask questions such as: Who decides when phone support has failed and onsite service is necessary? Must you install replacement parts yourself? Who pays for return shipping for major repairs? Is a loaner system available during downtime?

Ask Other Buyers

Advice from trusted colleagues is always a good recourse, as long as you keep in mind that a single person's experience with a company doesn't guarantee that yours will be the same.

How Can I Choose A Reliable Merchant?

Ask Other Buyers

Advice from trusted colleagues is always a good recourse, as long as you keep in mind that a single person's experience with a company doesn't guarantee that yours will be the same.

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