| Point System | I will rank the value or quality of each item with a point from 0(worst) to 10(best). |
|---|
Computer Brand
I won't say too much about what brand to buy because every
brand is disappointing in different aspects. Every company
seems to have too many different models with the intention, it
seems, to confuse the buyer. No company builds a computer that is
made to last. I will recommend that you not buy an
eMachine or a
Compaq computer because these two
companies along with Packard Bell helped ruin the quality of all
PCs by building the lowest quality computers.
HP is just a little better in quality.
As for other computer makers like Dell,
Gateway,
Sony,
and Toshiba,
they seem to all be near the same level with
just average quality in every area.
Here is a table of how I rank each brand.
I put most brands at the same level:
| Computer Brands | ||
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Rank | Recommendation |
| Dell | 5 | Ok to buy |
| Gateway | 5 | Ok to buy |
| Sony | 5 | Ok to buy |
| Toshiba | 5 | Ok to buy |
| HP | 4 | Maybe Ok to buy |
| Compaq | 2 | Do not buy |
| eMachine | 2 | Do not buy |
CPU (Processor) Type
Computers will come with a variety of CPUs manufactured usually by AMD or Intel. There are three CPUs that I recommend you never buy: AMD's Duron, AMD's Sempron, and Intel's Celeron. These three CPUs do not have good performance.
Here is a table of how I rank CPU types:
| CPUs (Processors) | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Rank | Recommendation |
| Intel Core Duo | 8 | Ok to buy |
| Intel Core Solo | 7 | Ok to buy |
| Intel Pentium M | 7 | Ok to buy |
| AMD Turion 64 X2 | 7 | Ok to buy |
| AMD Turion 64 | 6 | Maybe Ok to buy |
| AMD Athlon | 6 | Maybe Ok to buy |
| Intel Celeron | 2 | Do not buy |
| AMD Duron | 2 | Do not buy |
| AMD Sempron | 2 | Do not buy |
CPU Speed
Every CPU is measured in Ghz (Gigahertz) for speed. Following the name of the CPU you will see a number followed by Ghz. (Example: 1.6 Ghz). The higher the number the faster the computer will run. I recommend not getting a speed slower than 1.8 Ghz.
CPU speed table:
| CPU Speeds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Rank | Recommendation |
| 2.16 Ghz | 8 | Ok to buy |
| 2.0 Ghz | 7 | Ok to buy |
| 1.8 Ghz | 6 | Ok to buy |
| 1.7 Ghz | 5 | Maybe Ok to buy |
| 1.6 Ghz | 4 | Not very good to buy |
| 1.5 Ghz | 3 | Not very good to buy |
RAM
The amount of RAM or Memory in a computer is very important for speed. The more RAM the better. 1GB (1 Gigabyte) of RAM is twice as much as 512MB of RAM. Never get anything lower then 512MB of RAM.
RAM Table:
| RAM | ||
|---|---|---|
| Amount | Rank | Recommendation |
| 2GB RAM | 8 | Ok to buy |
| 1GB RAM | 7 | Ok to buy |
| 512MB RAM | 6 | Ok to buy |
| 256 RAM | 5 | Do not buy |
| 128 RAM | 4 | Do not buy |
Video Card (Graphics Card)
Laptops are not made for games. If you plan on doing alot of gaming you should get a desktop. Even the very best laptops will not be able to play all of the newest games. However, if you want to be able to play any good games and if you want to be able to do some nice graphics then you should get a good video card. Currently, good 3D graphics cards are made by ATI and NVIDIA. You should get a graphics card with at least 256MB of RAM on the card.
Video Card Table:
| Video Card | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type | Rank | Recommendation |
| NVIDIA GeForce w/ 256MB RAM | 8 | Good for playing some games |
| ATI Radeon w/ 256MB RAM | 8 | Good for playing some games |
| Built-in Graphics Card | 5 | Not good for games |
Hard Drive
Programs are getting bigger and bigger. You may also want to store pictures, music and videos on your computer. For this reason big hard drives are important. You will want to spend as much as you can afford on the size of a hard drive. I recommend not getting anything smaller then 60GB.
Hard Drive Chart:
| Video Card | ||
|---|---|---|
| Size | Rank | Recommendation |
| 200GB | 8 | Ok to buy |
| 160GB | 7 | Ok to buy |
| 120GB | 7 | Ok to buy |
| 100GB | 6 | Ok to buy |
| 80GB | 6 | Ok to buy |
| 60GB | 5 | Maybe Ok to buy |
| 40GB | 5 | Too small |
Backup
Computers are easily damaged. Laptops are especially easy to damage and are sometimes stolen. A hard drive can crash at any time for no reason and you may not be able to recover any important information. Also a virus could wipe out information on your hard drive. Therefore, it is recommended that you always backup important data often and regularly.
There are different ways to backup your data. Don't try to backup the whole hard drive. It is usually too time-consuming and does not work sometimes. Just backup your important documents. (I.E. Word Documents, photo's, finances). You can use a DVD-R, a CD-R, an external hard drive or a USB Flash drive. You may want to use different methods and store the backups in different locations in case of theft or fire.
DVD+/-RW Drive
Make sure the computer comes with a DVD/RW drive that is compatible with DVD-R and DVD+R. You may even want to get a double-layer drive.
DVD Table:
| Video Card | ||
|---|---|---|
| Size | Rank | Recommendation |
| DVD+/-RW Double-layer Drive | 8 | Ok to buy |
| DVD+/-RW Drive | 7 | Ok to buy |
| CD-RW Drive/DVD-ROM Combo | 5 | Do not buy |
| CD-RW Drive | 5 | Do not buy |
| DVD-ROM Drive | 4 | Do not buy |
Network
No doubt most new laptops will come with built-in wireless networking support. If it does not then do not get that laptop. Make sure the wireless card is 802.11 b/g compatible. Also make sure the laptop comes with a regular Ethernet port.
Software
Windows Operating System (OS) CD
Be careful! Many computer makers are selling systems without the re-installation CD. You want to get all the re-installation CDs including the Windows XP operating system CD. Some computer makers will try to sell you the computer without the CD, but it only adds $10 to the total price when they include the CD.
It is important that you get the re-installation CDs because a virus or other problem may mess up the file system on your computer and you will need the CD to restore the operating system. A built-in recovery on the hard drive will not work in most of those cases. Also if your hard drive crashes and a computer technician installs a new hard drive in your computer he will need these re-installation CDs. So do not lose them.
Sometimes instead of saying CD they will say media. Both terms mean the same thing, that they are providing the actual CDs for re-installation.
Operating System Table:
| Windows XP OS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Description | Rank | Recommendation |
| Windows XP Operating System w/ CD | 9 | Ok to buy |
| Windows XP Operating System w/ Media | 9 | Ok to buy |
| Windows XP Operating System | 2 | Do not buy |
| Windows XP Operating System & Recovery System | 2 | Do not buy |
One more important note on Windows XP Operating System. I do NOT recommend Windows XP Media Center Edition. Unless you want a few not very useful entertainment add-ons to windows do NOT get XP Media Center OS. Its software is very memory hungry and causes even fast CPUs to slow down in performance. I recommend that you purchase your new computer with either Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Pro Edition. Windows XP Pro is slightly better then Home.
Operating System Type Table:
| Windows XP OS TYPE | ||
|---|---|---|
| Description | Rank | Recommendation |
| Windows XP Pro | 9 | Ok to buy |
| Windows XP Home | 7 | Ok to buy |
| Windows XP Media Center | 2 | Do not buy |
MS Office Software
Most people use MS Office for word processing and spreadsheets. So go ahead and order MS Office(Word, Excel, etc.) with your computer. You will generally save money by ordering it with your computer system rather then buying it later on.
Antivirus Software
Viruses are VERY easy to get. The Internet and email are full of viruses. Therefore you really need some Antivirus software on your computer. Either purchase the Antivirus system along with your computer or buy it and install it before ever going on the Internet. Be sure that the virus definitions are up to date (less than 2 weeks old) before using the Internet.
Antivirus considerations: I do not recommend an antivirus package that includes a firewall and/or an anti-spyware program. Most antivirus software makers are not very good at making firewall or anti-spyware programs and these additional programs usually unnecessarily slow down the performance of your computer without any benefit. Windows XP already includes a firewall that is generally less confusing then other software firewalls.
Antivirus Table:
| Antivirus Software | ||
|---|---|---|
| Description | Rank | Recommendation |
| Antivirus | 9 | Good to buy |
| Antivirus Security Suite with Firewall and/or Anti-spyware | 4 | May unnecessarily slow down the performance of your computer without any added benefit. |
Printer/Serial Ports
One last consideration with the purchase of a new computer is whether or not you are planning on using equipment you already own such as a printer that you already have. You may have a good old printer that uses a parallel port. Many new computers are not providing parallel printer ports anymore. You may have to buy a more expensive model to get the parallel printer port. If you have an older printer that you like though, it is well worth the added expense. Otherwise you will have to purchase a new USB printer.
Parallel Port as seen from the back of a computer.
(25-pin female connection)
|
Parallel Port as seen from the back of a parallel printer.
(36-pin centronics connection)
|
Also you may have a serial device that you want to use on your new computer. Some older equipment communicated through a serial port. You may have an older serial label printer or an older serial mouse that you like. Many new computers are not providing serial ports. You may have to buy a more expensive model to get the serial port.
Serial Port as seen from the back of a computer.
(9-pin male connection)
|