subject: The top three things to look for when buying a computer [print this page] The top three things to look for when buying a computer
It can be hard work finding a computer that satisfies both your technological needs and also fits into your price range, so here are three things you need to look for when buying a computer:
3. Hard Drive
The hard drive is like the brain of the computer, it stores all your files so if you want to download and watch films, music and videos then you'll need a pretty big hard drive. Thankfully you can easily get desktop computers with 500GB hard drives for fairly good prices nowadays but as stick to the rule of 350GB as a minimum if you take a lot of photographs or download a lot of games or films. For lighter users a 100GB hard drive will be absolutely fine.
2. Processor
Carrying on with the human body analogy, the processor is the heart of the computer and it's what powers the computer. It directly affects the speed of programs and how fast your computer does things. With the constant improvement of programs and software it is worth getting a computer with a 2GHz processer at least. If you're a passionate gamer or designer then a computer with 3GHz processor would be more appropriate as you'll likely be using power-draining programs.
1. RAM
So if the hard drive is the brain and the processor is the heart then the RAM is the muscle; it powers the processor and two go hand in hand. If you have a fast processor then you'll need a lot of RAM to power it, if you have a lot of RAM but a weak processor, then you're wasting RAM. Ideally 3GB of RAM is the minimum you should have and 6GB is probably the maximum.
Other Tips and Pointers
Those three things aren't the be all and end all of computers but they are important things to take into consideration. When buying a computer, it's worth sticking to brands that you know and trust and buying from retailers that have a good reputation for competitive pricing, good customer care and quick and efficient processes and delivery.
Try and make sure that you get at least a one year warranty on any computers, netbooks or laptops to cover you against any potential faults and think carefully about insuring your new product too.
Find a great selection of netbooks and buy computers online to get the best choice and the best prices.
