In the initial stages of determining what sort of computer u need to get, at some point u need to ask yourself, what am I going to be using the computer for? Whether u intend to write papers for class, surf the World Wide Web, or just play computer games, u need to have an idea of what the minimum requirements the computer needs to have. If all u intend to do is just write letters using a DOS based word processing program, a 386 or 486 system with a couple megabytes of memory is more than adequate. If u want to use a Windows version of some word processing program, then ur requirements go up a bit, particularly on the amount of RAM memory & hard disk space. If u want to be able to surf the Web & play some of the multimedia on-line virtual reality games, then u need a higher-end system, with more memory, more disk space, & a modem or network card to connect to the Internet.
Once u determine what u need the computer for, the next question that u need to ask yourself is how much money I can afford to spend. If u are looking for a Pentium 4 based system, expect to pay around$800 to$1000 for a good quality system including software & a monitor. U will no doubt see systems advertised for less than this, but there is a good reason why these systems are cheaper.
Buy as much PC as u can afford. Don’t cut corners on the main system unit(monitor, processor, memory, disk space, etc.). If u are short on cash, hold off on the printer or a software application or 2 that u really don’t need right away. Remember, this system is going to last u at least 2 or 3 yrs or more & u don’t want to start running out of disk space or memory in the 1st week that u have it because u trimmed down the amount of memory or got a smaller hard drive so that u could afford to buy 18 different versions of a screen saver program!
Remember, u get what u pay for. If the price is cheap, most likely the components are cheap. Eg: a good brand name 40 GB(Gigabyte) hard drive currently sells for$80 to$100. If a salesman talks u into their in-house brand for$20, make sure u have them throw in an extra set of rubber bands! Or a good quality 17 inch color SVGA monitor will typically go for somewhere in the range of$300 to$600. If the local computer store is selling a high-end model SVGA monitor for only$150, check to see if there is a crank on the side!
If the PC of ur dreams comes with Microsoft software, such as Office XP, here is something u need to consider. Software that is purchased with a new computer has a special OEM(Original Equipment Manufacturers) license. That OEM license is tied to that specific PC & can not be transferred(uninstalled/reinstalled) on another computer. So, if u replace ur new PC in a couple years, u will also need to purchase all of the OEM licensed software. OEM licensed software can only be installed on the original computer the software was purchased with.
If u replace ur computer every 2-3 yrs, u may want to consider purchasing a retail copy of the software rather than buying the software with the new computer. The retail software is available either on-line or from ur local computer store. With a retail copy of the software, if u ever replace ur computer, u can uninstall the software from the old computer & reinstall the retail licensed software on a new computer. Depending on the application, retail software is going to cost u about 50% more than the OEM software purchased with the computer, but it will save u money in the long run.
Finally, give urself some room to work. Shoot for a dollar amount but be willing to spend a couple hundred more to get exactly what u want & something that u’ll be happy with. If u say I want the best computer graphics workstation made, but I don’t want to spend more than$200, I say go buy yourself a 64-pack of Crayolas with some colored paper, because that’s all u can afford. Be realistic!