How to buy a PC?

[evansmaster]

Important things to know in buying a personal computer...

 

[Jesse]

First of all, think of what you want to use the computer for... you have said that you want a home computer with a low budget, but it will be easier if you know exactly what you want it for.

Next you should consider where you will buy the computer from... there are some sites on the net, e.g. dell but I would recommend that you go to a computer shop.

Now you need to decide what specifications you want. as a guide don't go for anything below the following:
Processor: 1Ghz
RAM: 512MB
Hard Drive (HDD): 30GB

Also look for either the Intel or AMD logo and at least a CD-RW/DVD Drive. I would also check to see how many USB ports the computer has for expansion.

Make sure that the computer you buy has at least Windows XP however Windows vista is 'better'. Plus check to see what software comes with the PC (I got Microsoft Word and Works free along with lots of other Cd's and games).

P.S. One final tip... Don't feel pressured by the salesman to buy anything and if you go to a smaller shop, don't forget to ask for a discount.

Source: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/i...uEUFdrkjzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20070301160955AALTstJ

 

[GG-Xtreme]

I have to disagree with this:

however Windows vista is 'better'

If you want your computer to make your life harder instead of easier, then go for Vista. Otherwise, XP will suffice.

 

[Swiblet]

If you computer can handle it, go for Vista. If you only have 512 mbs of RAM or a crap graphics card, go for Vista Basic or XP (no real difference).

~~B3N

 

[GG-Xtreme]

If you computer can handle it, go for Vista. If you only have 512 mbs of RAM or a crap graphics card, go for Vista Basic or XP (no real difference).

~~B3N

"What do you want to do to the DVD in the D drive? Do you want to play it? You do? Are you sure you want to play it? Do you want to play it in PowerDVD? What about Windows Media Player? Are you sure you don't want to use Windows Media Player instead? Please?"

 

[Slothie]

"What do you want to do to the DVD in the D drive? Do you want to play it? You do? Are you sure you want to play it? Do you want to play it in PowerDVD? What about Windows Media Player? Are you sure you don't want to use Windows Media Player instead? Please?"

You are not making much sense. I use KMplayer for most of my Video needs though be it AVIs/DVDs or whatever

 

[alexandgruntz]

"What do you want to do to the DVD in the D drive? Do you want to play it? You do? Are you sure you want to play it? Do you want to play it in PowerDVD? What about Windows Media Player? Are you sure you don't want to use Windows Media Player instead? Please?"

That describes both XP and Vista, but is exaggerated.

 

[David_Tiger]

buying a computer depends on your budget for price if you want a goos fast PC i recommend at least

for vista home or vista basic or even XP
2.8 GHz and above
dual core
at least 1 gb or RAM
128 GPU (graphics card)

or if you want for gaming vista etc
3.2 GHz and up
dual core
2 gig RAM
256 GPU(graphics)

the pc i have for chrstmas xD is
AMD X2 64bit
6 GHz
3 Gig RAM
Vista Ultimate
1gig GPU(graphics)

buying a good PC can cost from £150 - £600+ but depending on your budget depends on the specs you get (unless you get a extremly good deal)

 

[vaeron85]

buying a computer depends on your budget for price if you want a goos fast PC i recommend at least

for vista home or vista basic or even XP
2.8 GHz and above
dual core
at least 1 gb or RAM
128 GPU (graphics card)

or if you want for gaming vista etc
3.2 GHz and up
dual core
2 gig RAM
256 GPU(graphics)

the pc i have for chrstmas xD is
AMD X2 64bit
6 GHz
3 Gig RAM
Vista Ultimate
1gig GPU(graphics)

buying a good PC can cost from £150 - £600+ but depending on your budget depends on the specs you get (unless you get a extremly good deal)

Okay, for the first set up, that would be ideal for an XP Pro SP2 or SP3 (if you are a beta tester) except upgrade it to 256 minimum on the video card.

For the second set up I would personally make it 3GB of RAM minimum and 512 on the video card.

As for your set up...How do you have a processor that does not exist? 6 GHz AMD X2 64 bit? Considering the fastest clock that they have for the Athlon X2 is 3.2 GHz.

Okay on a positive note...what video card/s do you have? and how much did you spend on it/them? I'm looking at upgrading my video card, and hopefully buying Phenom Quad Core soon. But before I do, does anyone have any reviews of the Phenom or of the Intel Quad Core, so that I can make a good decision. I am wanting to go with quad but as of right now, I'm not exactly sure which I want to go with.

 

[adrenlinerush]

why not build it... you'll save quite alot of money... newegg.com is the best place to get parts...

 

[Swiblet]

Quads cost ALOT. I'm loking at a Pentium Core 2 Quad Extreme and it's over 1000 dollars! But I'm thinking that it will be amazing. Besides, a chip that expensive HAS to come with a warranty. How about researching that and getting back to us about it? =) I'm curious too!

BTW, if you want a quad, Newegg is your best bet. I would wait, though. The above info about the price I mentioned...was what I saw 2 months ago. Apparently, the price is going down. But on Newegg, the comments all are spectacular, and any bad reviews were marked "bad" for the price, which is going down quickly. Wait a while, then buy a Quad. It's estimated to be maybe 700 dollars by the middle of next year, if not sooner.

The other complaint is that you should get another cooler. The cooler the Quad comes with apparently doesn't work as well as it should.

~~B3N

 

[Anghel132]

If I may add, for those that want a decent computer without hassle, I'd recommend finding your local part suppliers reviewing each of their prices... (this is especially helpful for you first-time buyers who are looking to buy your first OWN computer and get rid of your parents crappy 486 (exaggeration there xD))..

Then buy just the box (no monitor, no peripherals), this is the most cost effective solution..

However if you want a good computer but don't want to spend the time and money trying to make an Alienware SLI machine by editing and customizing every single part in a computer.. try checking out packages they have on offer (these usually already have nifty packaging that includes monitors, peripherals.. speaker systems.. etc) .. small tweaks on these to get what you want.. then start playing the suppliers against each other.

I think I brought the overall price of my computer that I bought in April from 2.7k to 2.4k by doing that. And remember you don't need to buy everything all at once... some bits are better than others.. and some bits will turn obsolete as soon as you put the box in the car to drive home ..

 

[Swiblet]

I'm a first time buyer =P Those packages you mentioned are the main reason I shop at Newegg! Not only are the prices all amazing, but they have combos that are even better.

The ONLY thing I'm very worried about is buying parts only to find that the parts don't fit together. For example, I have an AMAZING motherboard picked out. However, it is also available in a combo with a box that is 100 percent different from the box I bought already. I'd hate to find that it doesn't fit >.< On top of that, I'd hate to find that I have everything, and I don't know how to connect the cables =<

~~B3N

 

[-AwaR-]

YOU NEED A DUAL CORE!! NO MATTER WHAT! 2 is better then one! lawl

 

[fitzysit]

I have to disagree with this:


If you want your computer to make your life harder instead of easier, then go for Vista. Otherwise, XP will suffice.

yeah i have to agree with you on that VISTA IS NOT WORTH IT - i used to have it i used it for 6 hours and never again!

 

[Swiblet]

YOU NEED A DUAL CORE!! NO MATTER WHAT! 2 is better then one! lawl

Eheh...I think we were on the subject of QUADS xD 4 is better than 2.

~~B3N

 

[Anghel132]

yeah i have to agree with you on that VISTA IS NOT WORTH IT - i used to have it i used it for 6 hours and never again!

In terms of Vanilla installations, sure XP is better than Vista (early tests indicate that SP3 speeds up XP whilst Vista SP1 is still dismal)

However, my XP has so many visual upgrades (Windows Blinds, logonstudio, object dock) that it feels laggy, in my particular case with my particular graphics needs , vista would be preferrable. (Only you can tell I use a lot of 'non sanctioned' software on my computers.. tools and utilties and programs that weren't exactly on the high up list of programs 'to make sure Vista works wel with' back at MS... so they don't work well if at all!

But yeah, for me Vista's a viable option.. if they ever diecide to make things back compatible (which I doubt they well)

/end ramble..

 

[Spartan Erik]

why not build it... you'll save quite alot of money... newegg.com is the best place to get parts...

I disagree, Dell has moved assembly to Malaysia, and their computers have become cheaper. Additionally, companies get paid to install third party software; yes this means more junk for you to uninstall when you get your computer, but you also pay less!

I suggest waiting for a nice deal to come around at Dell.com, as their new Dimension series of desktops are quite nice. If you plan on getting Vista, get at least 2 GB of RAM (or purchase the PC with 1 GB, then add another GB yourself; saves you $20-50 bucks depending on model of RAM), and a nice video card. I'd personally delete the partition containing Vista and install a copy of XP over it, but that's just me.

 

[David_Tiger]

Okay, for the first set up, that would be ideal for an XP Pro SP2 or SP3 (if you are a beta tester) except upgrade it to 256 minimum on the video card.

For the second set up I would personally make it 3GB of RAM minimum and 512 on the video card.

As for your set up...How do you have a processor that does not exist? 6 GHz AMD X2 64 bit? Considering the fastest clock that they have for the Athlon X2 is 3.2 GHz.

Okay on a positive note...what video card/s do you have? and how much did you spend on it/them? I'm looking at upgrading my video card, and hopefully buying Phenom Quad Core soon. But before I do, does anyone have any reviews of the Phenom or of the Intel Quad Core, so that I can make a good decision. I am wanting to go with quad but as of right now, I'm not exactly sure which I want to go with.

yea lol i miss read the PC specs lol its a AMD X2 64 6000+ i think its a 3.2 or thereabouts

as for my video card i got its with the PC it was included in the price of the PCits a nvidia 8500 GT super+1GB i think its availible from around 90$ - 150$
I was considering a quad core but i had read a lot about quad cores not being too stable with the operating systems
so i stuck to dual for the moment

 

[Anghel132]

Yeah. .they got the technology out.. but not the programs to drive em..

I mean right now you can get upwards of about 4gb in your machines (I've heard servers can get up to 16gb depending on their build). but you can't use taht unless your running 64bit.. and I dunno.. Don't you need to get special versions of all your software to run on 64bit? Or will 32bit work as well?