Buying a computer is a lot like buying a lot of other electronics like cell phones, televisions, etc. When picking a computer, the top 10 features you should pay attention to the CPU/Processor, Amount of RAM, size of your hard drive, video card, sound card, optical drives like CD and dvd drives, operating system, case, card reader, and power supply.
1. CPU/Processor
It is best to buy a computer with a speed of 2 GHz or greater, and have two CPU cores like an Intel Core2Dou CPU or AMD Athlon CPU. A faster CPU will make your computer run faster, and means you can run more demanding programs like games, video editors, etc which require a faster game.
2. Amount of RAM
2GB or more of RAM is a good amount of RAM/Memory for the latest version of Windows which is Windows 7. Having more then 2 GB of RAM like 4GB of RAM means future programs and games will run better, so your computer will be able to run more demanding program.
3. Size of your hard drive.
I recommend having at least a 500GB hard drive, so you can store a lot of HD video, music, documents, and install more programs on your computer. Having more space will make you able to install more programs, and save more files on your PC.
4. Video card
A video card would let you play faster games, and run more video intensive programs and files like watching Blu-Ray HD movies on your computer. It is best to buy a computer with a dedicated PCI-Express video card instead of a computer with an onboard video built-in to your computer since dedicated video cards can run games, programs, and videos better then onboard video. Plus, dedicated video don’t use your system RAM like onboard video which can slow down your PC because there is less available RAM.
Onboard video is only good if you plan to use your computer for office work, watching video, browsing the web, and non-video intensive tasks.
5. Sound Card
If you plan on getting a surround sound or digital speaker system for your computer. You need to make sure your sound card is a surround sound card for connecting a surround sound speaker system to your computer. Higher end computer sound cards also can make movies, games, and music sound more realistic then basic stereo sound cards and onboard sound found on cheaper computers.
6. Optical Drives
Opitical Drives are CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD Writers, DVD writers, Blu-ray drives/Burners, for your computer for playing back and burning cds, dvds, and Blu-rays on your home computer. It is best to get a DVD-Writer since it can burn CDs and DVDs as well as play them on your computer. Blu-ray writers are expensive, so you should get them when there is a price drop.
7.Operating System.
If you are planning to get a Windows computer, I recommend getting a computer with Windows Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, or Business since they are the latest versions of Windows. Windows Home Premium is the cheapest, but Windows Professional, Ultimate, and Business are more expensive, but have more features for power and corporate users.
8.Case
It is best to get a computer which is a full sized ATX case since fixing, maintaining, and replacing parts would be easier since there are more available parts from different companies which can fit in a big computer cases then smaller computers like nettops, and slim computers.
9. Card Reader
These days a lot of digital cameras, camcorders, and MP3/MP4 players use memory cards to transfer files to and from a home computer. Make sure the computer you are buying have a slot on it, so it can read and write files on your memory cards you own like SD cards, memory sticks.
10. Power Supply
If you plan on upgrading your computer in the future, it is best to buy a computer with a power supply with more wattage like 400W-1000W, so your computer can handle running more powerful parts which need more power. Higher quality power supplies are also more power efficient and last longer then cheaper power supplies in most cases.
Extra tip: If you use a wireless network for going online, you should also get a computer with a wireless network card built-in.
Learn more tips on buying a computer by visiting johnsonyip.com/how-to-pick-a-computer.htm
Now I know some of the very important parts of the computer.