Are these "high-spec low price" PC's really a good deal? What should I look for when buying a PC in 2008? Desktop or laptop?
So you have decided that, after the past five years of listening to your kids going on about the latest www., or your friend asking you to check out whatever.com, that it's finally time to take a step forward and ride the train to Computerville. It's a wise decision if you know what you are doing but bearing in mind it can cost you a few penny's means you kind of have to know what you are looking for. The first thing I would do is to avoid the adverts on TV that advertise low price PC's. There is usually a catch...these are usually computers that barely scrape the minimum specifications to run any modern software. They might have a good processor but low RAM and a rubbish graphics system. By all means have a look if you are prepared to upgrade and know how; upgrades can be cost effective if you know what you are doing, but I presume you don't or you wouldn't be reading this guide!
The best bet is to look at a computer only store such as PC World as any other accessories you might need with the PC are all in one place and you can be given direct advice (and sometimes discount) on what else to buy. If money isn't an issue and you have saved £1000 plus then computer shopping couldn't be easier. Just go for the highest priced model and you can be almost sure it will be capable of running all of today's software for a few years to come. But to be honest, most of us are only prepared to spend £500-600 on a machine. Make sure the monitor (screen) and keyboard and mouse are included in the price but don't worry about speakers...the ones that come with computers really are bad and you will be better off connecting your computer through your Hi-fi or a dedicated sub-woofer system (can be picked up for around £40).
Look for a computer with between 1-2GB of something called RAM. No 512mb as that will struggle to run what is included on today's computers: a power hungry yet good looking operating system (like one big program that you run all the other little programs through) called Windows Vista. It comes in a few flavours such as Basic and Premium. Going for a computer with that much RAM will guarantee a Vista Home Premium install. As for processors, they are all pretty adequate nowadays but look for the words Duo, Dual or even Quad to ensure the best performance. Look out for something called "graphics" with 256mb plus of memory. Most £500 PC's have what is called "integrated graphics". These steal memory off your computer: 256mb of it to be precise. Look out for the words "shared graphics" and try to avoid them. If you can't then you must go for 2gb of RAM otherwise you'll be left with a measly 767mb when the graphics take over! Something called "dedicated graphics" are what is best, as these give you the most stable PC performance.
There are two main types of systems you can go for. These come in style of "desktop" or "laptop" varieties. When I say two main types, there are also many others such as "living room PC"s' (smaller PC's designed to sit next to a HD TV) and PC's which are just a monitor with the disk drive built in underneath. Some PC base units are round, some rectangular and some square but bare in mind that if it is a fancy shape, you are probably going to end up paying more "just for the shape". Since you are hardly likely to be a professional gamer or pro Media Centre user right away, I recommend going for the no frills bell and whistle free tower type, if desk space is not an option. If you are lacking desk space and portability appeals to you, then perhaps a laptop will be what you are looking for. You will get less bang for your buck if you do decide to travel the laptop route, but the same rule applies...try to aim for a laptop with over 2gb of RAM, 256mb of graphics and preferably one with a Dual Core processor.
So you have just purchased a new PC. Providing the sales person hasn't tried to sell you a so called great deal computer with 512mb RAM and 64mb graphics (yes they do still sell them in this day and age so watch out!), then I presume you are happy with your purchase. Well, what else do you need. You will probably need to go on-line some time in the future and you can't do that without a broadband package. You usually need a phone line for broadband. All you need to do is to sign up with one of the many companies you see in the papers or on TV (expect to pay on average £15 a month) and they will send you a special box (called a router) which plugs into the computer and also into a telephone socket. The telephone socket will need to have something called a "filter" on it to stop your broadband connection being cut out every time the phone rings or you make a call (usually included). You do not need two phone lines for broadband, but you may need two phone sockets.
