subject: Guide To Buying Desktop Computers - Buy Computers Right, For The Right Reasons [print this page] There is no perfect guide to buying desktop computers, but you can buy computers, if necessary, based on two main factors. What it's going to be used for, and which is the hottest model on the market. It's not rocket science, but it's still surprisingly difficult to get it right.
Purpose & Budget: One person might be interested in running graphics-intensive software or apps, multimedia streaming or online video games. Another one might just be interested in buying the latest and the best. Both will end up with a powerful machine.
Those used to high config machines in the office may decide to buy the same at home out of familiarity, while others looking for a value deal might get a barely functional desktop that won't allow for much else other than basic internet use. There are many more possible reasons, but the point is that buying a desktop is a personal experience which should not be generalized.
Components: If the buyer knows which make and what size of motherboard, hdd, ram, cpu, and graphics card is needed, then there's not much else left to know. The keyboard, mouse and monitor can possibly be customized, to improve convenience and appearance. Peripherals like printers should again be bought depending on usage.
Make & Model: Apple fanatics aside, others might need to start by making a choice between a PC and a MAC. The PCWorld listings show the current most popular model to be an iMac customizable All-in-One Desktop. Apple aside, the most popular brands include HP, Compaq, Dell and Sony.
To sum it up, unless the buyer has the capability to upgrade twice a year, there's not much sense in buying the latest and the best. Ideally, decisions for buying computers should be made after talking to a sales rep and finding out the minimum configuration required. Then go shopping to find the best make and model that offers the same config for the best price.
