How expensive are they?
Computers have become cheaper – the Warehouse has even been selling them for $1000. But it’s a significant purchase and just as when buying a car, care should be taken. Computer technology is constantly changing and computer hardware has a limited lifespan. Properly maintained, your computer should last three to five years, or even longer if you are happy with it and don’t need to improve what’s inside your computer so that new software can work. In fact, you don’t have to throw your computer out and buy an entirely new one. You should be able to add new features and extra memory later.
The problem comes with new software, especially computer games, which often demand improved hardware inside your computer, particularly the hardware that drives video and graphics, or new versions of software that need to be run on the latest Microsoft Windows system (the latest is called XP). If your computer cannot be adapted to run those programs, then it may be time to upgrade your entire computer.
Can I get one secondhand?
Frankly, we advise against it unless it’s a hand-me-down from a friend or family member who can vouch for its history. Otherwise you won’t know its history, parts may be hard to find, and it may not be able to accept new software.
How do I go about buying one?
Before going out shopping, consider carefully what sort of things you want to do on your computer. Take advice from people you know already have a computer and find out what things they enjoy doing on the computer or online. As with any major purchase, be sure to shop around. There’s plenty of competition in the computer market and lots of deals on offer. Read the specifications carefully, to be sure you’re not being sold something that is either inadequate or excessive for your needs. Always ask the sales people to demonstrate how the computer works. If they’re vague or unwilling, go somewhere else. Package deals for computers usually come with a range of basic software, such as Windows, already installed. Ask what you are getting with your computer, especially in terms of software. Make sure that you have read and accepted all the guarantee conditions before purchase. You should expect a new computer would carry a reasonable warranty, such as a three-year war ranty covering parts and labour. A good retailer should also offer you access to a telephone helpline, for any setup problems. Assume the worst – in other words, assume you may get some problems dur ing the setting up of the computer and make sure there is help on hand if this happens.
What features do I need?
If you’re a new user, and want to discover the Internet, you will need a computer with a built-in modem. This is the device that allows your computer to connect to the Internet. You will most likely need a stereo sound card as well. After all, the Internet is multi-media. Luckily, most computer packages today come with a 56Kbps modem and a sound card built in. Just make sure you double-check these features when selecting your computer in the shops.
You will also need a reasonable amount of memory (RAM). To see you through the next few years, don’t buy a computer that has less than 512 megabytes of RAM (some complex games may require at least 1 gigabyte of RAM).
The other important choice you need to make relates to processor type. A Pentium 4 is worth considering if you want the best performance from software or complex games or intend to do a bit of buying over the Internet. Otherwise a Celeron processor will do fine. An Apple Mac computer is worth a look if you have big plans for doing sophisticated things with pictures and sound.
The capacity of the hard drive is measured in gigabytes. Hard drive capacity is increasing every time as technology improves. Currently, it would be unusual to find a computer package with less than a 60-gigabyte drive. This should be fine if you are storing mainly text-based information, plus maybe a little bit of pictures and videos, but if you think you’ll be grappling with a lot of graphics, or video and sound clips, don’t consider anything smaller than an 80-gigabyte hard drive. When it comes to videos, bigger is better.
Most computers still include a floppy disk drive, but with today’s computer packages, you will probably have to choose between a DVD writer and a CD writer drive. Bear in mind that a DVD writer can read and write both DVDs and CDs while a CD writer can only read and write CDs. You may also encounter DVD ROM/CD-writer COMBO drives. These drives can read both DVD and CDs, but write to CDs only.
DVDs have seven times the storage capacity of CDs and are usually used for storing bigger files and programs, such as videos. However, for most practical purposes, CDs are more than adequate.
The standard graphics card that ships with most computers will be suitable for basic office applications like word processing and spreadsheets, and maybe basic games. However if you want to get the best from games, video clips or watching television on your computer, you should consider upgrading. Other applications that need a better-than-standard graphics card include drawing, design, presentation and animation software. Depending on the application, your new graphics card should carry a minimum 64 MB of video memory. Most modern games require a minimum 128 MB of video memory.
To avoid hassles and upgrading to the wrong product, make sure you check the minimum system requirements of these games and software before you decide what to upgrade to.
Monitors that are too small or of inferior quality can leave you with tired, stinging eyes and headaches. Monitors today are fairly cheap and a 17-inch monitor is fairly standard.
Becoming more popular are LCD monitors but these can be expensive. If you can afford it, a LCD monitor offers a clearer display and reduced glare; plus it usually occupies less than half the space that would a standard monitor of the same screen size.