To start let me tell you I am neither a computer technician nor a computer whiz. My husband deals with that side of the company I deal with more of the office side of the business.
I am just trying to help out those who are nervous about purchasing a new computer and some of the tips I have learned along the way.
First off you must decide exactly what you will be using your computer for. To the novice user this can be quite a stress filled task, as there are so many different elements that go into finding the right pc for you and your family.
The most common type of computer is the desktop version; this is the computer you see in offices and most often in home settings. They’re a few key components to this type of computer, the monitor, tower, keyboard and finally the mouse. When you buy a desktop these usually are included as a package deal with your new computer and are usually quite comfortable for the average user. There are many different versions of keyboards and mice you can purchase to customize your workspace should the included versions not suit you.
A word of caution when you head out to the store to purchase a new computer, don’t pay attention to the sales persons hanging around in the aisles. Most of the times they will try to up sell you to a bigger computer than you need. We purchased my computer at Sams Wholesale club, it is an HP and I love everything about it. I use the computer a bit more than the novice user as I use my machine not only to check emails and web surfing but also for bills and to create receipts for my clients. In addition to article writing and a few other things I will not bore you with. Anyhow my point here is I have a basic HP, I didn’t need any special amount of ram or a bigger hard drive, like the sales persons try to sell you when you go into some of the bigger chains. So just be weary and be smart, try to do a bit of online research before you head out to the stores.
If you are looking for something a little more portable with the same sort of power as a desktop then the laptop is the way to go. With a laptop, it is even more important to pay attention to the amount of RAM that is installed in the machine. Remember that laptops are always slightly slower then their desktop counterparts. In addition, don’t buy a brand of computer that you have never heard of before. The cheapest computer at the store in terms of laptop pricing is not the smartest way either, chances are you will have one slow computer on your hands. Look for a dual core processor and a minimum of four gigs of Ram. We purchased a 17inch Gateway laptop for portable office work. It is able to handle all that I mentioned above as well as handle my remote software. As I said before do your homework and know what you are looking for.
Now if you are not the novice user and you are a little on the geeky side you can consider building your own computer. These do not come put together like the ones you go to sams, Walmart or best buy for. These computers must be build from the case up. Meaning you buy everything separate, one of the biggest ups about this type of computer is that you can choose what parts go into your computer (mother board, hard drive, fans, cooling units etc).
In addition those who are avid gamers and I’m talking about the type of gamer who likes to play world of War Craft, Times Ascend, Battlefield or maybe you like to use a flight simulator, then these are the types of machines to best suit your needs. Here you can add as much ram as you want and add more power and graphics cards to your machine. In addition to more fans to cool down all these upgraded components. You are also able to purchase laptops for this type of thing, if this is the route you are thinking of going make sure you get enough power to handle all the graphics that are associated with these types of games.
We recommend a place like Tiger Direct for those looking to build a new computer them selves and have found that they have the best prices on hardware for your machine. As I mentioned before, my husband is the techy one in the family and he and his nephew built his new office machine simply because he needed a powerful computer. He is usually remote into a few machines at once and then also trying to solve issues here in the office front.
Check out his video at this link . You may pick up some tips along the way!
Well I have either further confused you or given you a few good tips to help you along your journey of purchasing a new computer. Each person is different in what they are looking for in a computer. Good luck and happy shopping.
by, Heather D
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