what to look for in a new pc?

[lou100]

Iam about to buy a new pc (not sure if it will be a desktop or laptop yet) - Has anybody got any hints or tips on things I should be looking out for.   It will be mainly used for surfing the internet, and possibly storing some word/excel documents (not many though) I keep seeing, ghz, processer sizes and all sorts of things that are confusing me...Help!  Thanks

[bobjim1705]

There are a few things you'll want to look out for:

Ghz refers to the speed of the processor. Since the processor can be thought of as the 'brain' of your computer, the faster it is, the better. However, if it's only being used for general word processing and internet usage (as opposed to gaming/design) an enormously fast processor may be a little redundant. A 3Ghz processor will more than suit your needs. (You might also hear about 'cache' sizes but you wont' need to worry about them.)

Mb (or possibly Gb, depending on how much you have) refers to the memory of your computer. It's a short term data store that gets used for opening programs. Anything between 512Mb and 1GB should suffice.

A nice size hard drive will be useful for storing all your data. If the computer isn't going to store dozens of the latest games, then anything around the 100Gb range (or less) is more than enough.

If you're buying a package PC (i.e. with a monitor) make sure it's a TFT (flat screen) monitor. They take up less space, and look nicer too :)

[vehelpfulguy]

Couple of other things:

Dont 'overpay' for your PC. If you are doing only internet and word processing almost any PC you buy will be powerful enough.

PC world or Comet will try to sell you a PC for �1,000 that will be vastly over specified.

If you go to the Dell web site for example you should be able to get a PC with a 17" flat screen for about �300 pounds.

If you need a printer try to get a PC deal with a printer included (Dell often do deals like that).       

If you want to create CDs ensure it has a CD writer, if you want to create DVDs ensure it has a DVD writer.

If you plan to do any video work on the PC ensure it has a fireware port.

If you plan to use word and excel think about the cost of MS Office. To buy it yourself will cost a lot of money (�300 pounds) so see if you can get a PC with it already pre-installed.

If you plan to play games on it ensire it has a decent graphics card. Most cheap PCs come with only default graphics, which are not very good for playing gmaes. 

[vehelpfulguy]

In fact if you go to the Dell web site at http://www.dell.co.uk

Then click on "Home" then "Special Offers" and look at the 3 in 1 deals for desktop (middle icon). Choose "More details".

You can see the Dimension 1100 is �300 (including VAT and delivery) comes with �30 off plus a free upgrade from a 15" to a 17" flat panel monitor.

You can order online, and even specify exactly the components you do and dont want and it changes the price accordingly.

If you are not sure, do a run through, and then cancel at the end. Any questions you do not understand ask them here and we will try and help. 

[lou100]

Wow, thanks to both of you - those are really helpful answers......thanks again. 

[joko]

I think bobjim1707 has perhaps been a little over on the estimates given. You can be perfectly happy with a lot less than he has stated. I would say for your needs minimum speed 500mhz, instead of 3ghz, minimum disk space 20gb instead of 100gb and I would agree on the 500mb to 1gb for memory.

this is what i have and I am more than happy and the net is very fast

it really depends on the amount you want to spend but the higher the numbers the better