Buying a PC? Check this out first!
 

Buying a computer can be a daunting experience, but it need not be so. For many folks who just want to get on the Internet, check their email, and write an occasional letter, there are many low-cost options available. For those that want to edit movies and produce their own DVDs, a machine with more "horsepower" will be required - but how does one decide what's needed?

This page will help you with your PC purchase decision. One of the decisions you will have to face is where you purchase your PC.  Should you buy from a retailer? From a "mom and pop" shop? From a system-builder? Buy online? Let's look at the pros' and con's of each of these options and then we'll look at specific PC hardware configurations.

Buying from a retailer like Future Shop or Best Buy:

Buying from an online retailer like Dell or IBM (now Lenovo):

Buying from a local "Mom and Pop" Shop:

NOTE: If you are going to buy from a local PC builder, look for one that's been in business five or more years. It's highly competitive, and only those stores that are genuinely satisfying customers will be around more than a couple of years. If you live in Southwestern Ontario, check this one out. It's been around for 15+ years. I've bought more than 200 systems from them and every system has functioned perfectly. Tell them I sent you!

Other Options:
If you're comfortable tinkering under the hood of your car - with computerized ignition and more - you may be comfortable building your own PC - you can shop online for some great components at good prices and assembly your own PC in the comfort of your home. Just take over the kitchen table for a few days - your wife will love you for it - and put together exactly the machine you want! It is a viable option. Be sure to use an anti-static wristband so you don't zap that new motherboard in the dry winter air! (That's why I recommended the kitchen - no static-generating carpet)!

OK, so you decided to not build it yourself - what do you look for in a new machine? Here's some tips. These are the basic tips in each category, and don't include things like speakers, sound, modems, microphones, Ethernet cards (for high speed Internet or networking), etc.

PC Purchase Tips - Minimum Hardware:
I really don't recommend anything less than running Windows XP, and even then, I'd recommend XP Professional rather than XP Home edition. Windows XP - while not "great" - is the best Microsoft has to offer so far, but it has some minimum hardware requirements and won't run on a really old machine.

These are the MINIMUM requirements you need to run Windows XP - Pro or Home edition, and better hardware is HIGHLY recommended:

• PC Motherboard with Intel Celeron, Celeron D, Duron, or similar processor running at 300 MHz. or faster.
• 64 Mb. of RAM
• 1.5 Gb. of available hard-disk space (more required during the install)
• CD-ROM drive
• Super VGA video adapter and monitor
• Mouse or pointing device

The above will give you the stability of running Windows XP, but it will be slow and you will often be waiting for a screen to finish loading before you can proceed. Nevertheless, it's an 'entry-level' machine that will run XP. If this is your first PC, don't even consider purchasing a machine running less than Windows XP (i.e. Windows 95, 98, 98SE, Millennium, etc). Windows 95 is no longer supported by Microsoft, and these other older OSs are heading the same way.

Make sure you get a genuine Windows disk (CD) with the machine: if the machine crashes and you don't have the Windows CD then figure you're about two or three miles upstream of Niagara Falls, in a canoe, and you've just lost your paddle.

PC Purchase Tips - Better Hardware:
OK, so you want a little better than the minimum, but don't want to spend the big-bucks for a top-of-the-line machine (which will be middle-of-the-line by the time you get it home and use it!). Look for hardware that is about equal to the following:

• PC Motherboard with Intel or AMD Processor running at 1.5 to 2.0 GHz. or better.
• 256 Mb. to 1.0 Gb. of RAM
• Minimum 80 Gb. hard drive - 120 Gb. or more is better.
• CD-ROM / DVD-RAM drives (1 of each)
• nVidia or ATI video card with minimum 1024x768 resolution at 16.7 million colors
• 17" video monitor with .28 dot pitch or better (smaller number is better)
• Optical mouse or other pointing device

Improving on any of the above parameters will give you a better machine. If you can, improve the machine in this order: more RAM, more video memory, faster processor.

Buy Your PC at the Grocery Store:
You can sometimes get a GREAT DEAL by buying your PC in the oddest place (except not out the back of a truck at the side of the highway). I walked into a grocery store in Pennsylvania - same place you buy corn flakes and bananas - and they had hundreds of Hewlett Packard Media Center PCs for $399 each.  These were MD (manufacture discontinued) models that HP wanted to dump in a hurry - and they did. Sometimes if you're willing to take a chance on what your getting, you can end up a winner. (I was tempted, but did not need one more PC!). Keep your eyes open for deals - they do happen.

Used PC is a Good Deal:
Pick up a good used PC for $40 or $50 bucks, and spend another hundred or so and upgrade a few components. You'll have a good though modest PC for checking email, surfing the net, as a spare unit, or as a home server. I did this: I put in a 250 Gb. hard drive, turned it into a server with some free software, and now I can FTP into my home system from anywhere in the world there is an Internet connection.

Pitfalls to Avoid:
You'll find most dealers to be honest and reliable, but a few unscrupulous salespersons have developed scams to save themselves money, ... be aware of these:

• You purchase "System A," get home, unpack, install and use the computer, and a few weeks later you discover you actually have "System B" - a machine that looks just like the one you bought but it's a lesser machine. When you call the store all the 'upgrade' gobbledygook about RAM, ROM, and Video Memory the salesperson gives you seems right. And, oops, the 30-day return period has expired, and, after all, it's such a hassle to pack it all up and get into an argument when you're not confident about your system. You shrug it off; the salesperson, after all, must know all about the machine, and it would be embarrassing to admit you got ripped off, so you chalk it up to lack of knowledge ... the salesman smiles all the way to the bank. This is the hi-tech version of the old "bait and switch" tactic.
   
• You buy a nice machine that will meet your needs - and it truly works just the way you expected. A whole year passes, and one day you turn it on and the machine bites the dust - you get a blue screen with all sorts of confusing messages - you call a few friends and they all tell you to reinstall Windows, but you can't remember where you put the CD. The fact is - you never received one. MAKE SURE when you buy a PC you get a Genuine Windows CD, that a Genuine Windows sticker is on the case (it will be on the case somewhere) and that the number on the sticker matches the number on the CD. Some big system retailers will supply a "Restore CD" instead of a Genuine Windows CD - see next bullet.
   
• A "Restore CD" is better than no CD - it will allow you to return the PC to the same state it was in the day you purchased the machine. A restore CD just reformats your hard drive and reinstalls what was on the machine the day you bought it. It will delete all of your personal data, all of your email messages and settings, and everything that was added to the machine since Day 1 when you received it. It's better than no CD, but (in my view) not much!  There's another downside to the restore CD: if you decide to trash your old machine and buy a new one, the restore CD will not work on the new machine. You have to buy another copy of Windows. The restore CD must match with data on your motherboard or hard drive, which it won't do on a different machine.
   
• Retailers make TONS of money on memory - and especially on memory upgrades. I've seen memory upgrades in retail stores costing $150 that I can buy online for $40 or less. Adding memory is one of the things you can do to a PC that will usually buy you a noticeable increase in speed, but buying "retail" memory can be both expensive and confusing. Buy your memory online - there are online tools that will look inside your computer and tell you exactly what memory to buy. And buying it online will always be cheaper than visiting your local retailer.
   
• Here's another memory trick - this one is downright fraud. It's not too common anymore and had its heyday in the mid-90s. Some memory SIMM (single in-line memory module) manufacturers were selling 9-bit (parity) SIMMS which were really 8-bit SIMMs with a cheaper parity generation chip in place of the ninth bit storage unit. The parity generation chip tested the parity of the data to be sent to the CPU and then produced the appropriate parity signal to satisfy the system.
   
• Many computers - especially the lower-priced units, have the audio (if any) and video chips built into the motherboard. This is called "on-board video." It's usually a very basic (i.e. inexpensive) way of providing the necessary graphics to drive a monitor. Better systems have an external video card that plugs into one of the expansion slots on the motherboard. When an external card is used, then the on-board video is disabled - either in the BIOS or via a jumper on the motherboard. If you pay for an external, better-quality video card, just make sure you actually get it - you can easily tell by looking inside the case. If in doubt, ask the salesperson to open the case and show you the card.
   
• If you purchase an older, low-end machine that meets your needs this morning, keep in mind it may not meet your needs this afternoon because the BIOS (basic input-output system) probably won't support a larger hard drive or other expansion components. An older system BIOS is not usually upgradeable because it is a chip soldered to the motherboard. The BIOS is what controls the PC and starts it up when the power is first applied. If you damage the BIOS for any reason, the motherboard (at least the older ones) is usually "toast."

Now, if money is no object, you can build a great system that will do almost anything. Just keep in mind that it will be a clunker a couple of years after you spend thousands building your Dream Machine - here's one with components I like:

PC Purchase Tips - Dream Machine:
This is a dream machine - it will butter your toast, iron your clothes and scrub the floor!

• Liquid cooled Alienware silent case and power supply
• Latest Asus (preferred) or Intel board with DUAL Intel Hyper Threading P4s at 3.66 GHz. or more
• 2 Gb. or more of DDR-2 high performance memory with error checking (see 'memory trick' above)
• Dual 74 Gb. Western Digital SATA 10,000 RPM Raptor hard drives - RAID boot disk array plus page file allocation, etc. (these drives selected because of their speed and throughput)
• 4 Western Digital 300 to 500 Gb. SATA drives, 10,000 RPM, in striped RAID configuration - application and storage
• RADEON X800 PCI Express Video Card
• TV tuner card - HD capable
• Dual layer DVD burner - Plextor or equivalent
• Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro Sound Card
• External network storage and backup - 500 Gb to 1 Terrabyte
• Latest surround-sound speaker system
• Logitech MX 510 Performance Optical Mouse
• Logitech Elite Keyboard USB PS/2 104 key
• Hi Speed 7-in-1 USB Card reader
• Dual 19" Flat Panel Monitors - ViewSonic VX924 or equivalent
• Windows XP Professional OS
• + the usual Ethernet, Microphone, etc.

more to come...

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