It is a great feeling when you have some money to spend and you are buying something just for you! These days everyone owns a computer and when you have the opportunity to upgrade you should spend your cash wisely. There are many machines on the market, but how do you choose the best one for you? Here are a few small tips that will help you to choose the perfect computer for your purposes.
What Do You Want to Do?
There is no point in paying thousands for a state of the art gaming machine if all you want to do is send emails. Each PC is set up specifically for a dedicated purpose. If you are a committed gaming enthusiast you will know roughly what your PC needs to be able to handle. Ultra powerful graphics cards and super quick processors will cost and arm and a leg. But if you buy a cheap and basic net top machine, you will have no chance of playing those games online. You can always upgrade parts of your machine at a later date, but the motherboard will remain the same. A cheaper machine will probably have older hardware and as a result may cost more to upgrade. Tell the staff about your concerns and see if they can offer you an ideal machine.
Price Range
Before you get your card or cash out in the store, you need to calculate your spending budget. What is the point in having the best PC in the street if you can’t afford to eat for two months? Check the prices of new machines online before you go to the store. Or maybe you are happy enough to order online, it can be a smart way to reduce your outgoings.
Specifications
If you are clueless when it comes to technical specifications you can always do your homework online. There are many forums in existence that will be a godsend of valuable information. There is nothing worse than having a young upstart of a computer salesman smile smugly, when you look on blankly at the buzz words he is testing you with. The terms you should be familiar with are as follows:
• Hard Drive – This is where you store all of your programs and files. Try and get at least five hundred gigabytes for this purpose.
• RAM – Random access memory. This allows you to multitask without slowing the performance down. Between four to eight gigabytes is plenty for most requirements.
• Processor speed – This indicates the power and speed of your motherboard. Look for a dual processor and you should be able to run plenty of applications in tandem.
• Video/Graphics card – If you are an online gamer then you will need something powerful. It should be a standalone PCI component and needs to be able to take the hammering dished out by your latest ‘shoot em up’ game. An integrated graphics card is fine if you only need the PC for emails and gentle surfing.
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