Buying A New Computer

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The Villages Computer Club

• Buying A New Computer
• Peter C. Cronas April 2009

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Buying A New Computer

• Desktop or Laptop
• AMD or Intel Processor(s)
• 32 Bit or 64 Bit Computing
• Which version of Windows
• Brand
• Minimum Hardware Requirements
• Purchase Options
• Other considerations

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1. Desktop or Laptop

• Desktops are cheaper, more reliable, have
  greater capacities, are easy to upgrade
• Travel a lot or roam around the house while
  surfing the net? Laptop or Mini is for you
• New laptops are almost as powerful as desktops
• Many companies are switching to laptops from
  desktop platforms why?
• Evaluate the things you use a computer for and
  then decide which is best for you.
• If you have the money - Why not both?

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2. AMD or Intel Processor(s)

• AMD (American Micro Devices) is the only real
  alternative to Intel and is almost always less
  expensive.
• Both offer a dizzying array of processor choices
  32 bit v. 64 bit, multi-core chips v.
  uni-processors, mobile v. non-mobile CPUs
• Almost as confusing as trying to pick a
  brand/type of golf ball.

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3. 32 Bit or 64 Bit Computing

• A Bit is the smallest component in a scheme to
  represent data electronically.
• 8 bits 1 Byte and a byte one character of
  data, i.e. a number, a letter or a blank space
  
• Computers work on data inside registers and
  register sizes have grown from 4 bits to 8 bits
  to 16 then to the 32 bits of the original
  release of Windows XP Vista. Now we have
  computers that use 64 bit registers. There is a
  significant relationship between RAM register
  size.
• The max amount of RAM in a computer is expressed
  in scientific notation as 2 to the power of the
  register size. Thus 2 to the 32nd power 4Gb of
  RAM 2 to the 64th power several million
  Gigabytes of RAM.

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3. 32 Bit or 64 Bit Computing contd

• To take advantage of a 64 bit CPU the OS must be
  a 64 bit operating system such as XP (64 bit) or
  Vista (64 bit)
• If you think there must be some Bad News on the
  way -you are quite right.
• Hardware devices that do not have 64 bit device
  drivers will not run on a 64 bit platform.
• 32 bit application software can sometimes run in
  emulation mode on a 64 bit system
• Bottom line you may have to replace your old
  peripheral devices favorite software products.
  

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4. Which Version of Windows

• XP or Vista or Windows 7
• Regardless of how comfortable you may be with XP
  - XP is the past
• Vista is the present. With Service Pack 1,
  enough RAM and a fast CPU Vista is relatively
  quick quite stable.
• Windows 7 is still not ready for prime time and
  most IT pros would advise against the .0 release,
  i.e. wait for Service Pack 1 for Windows 7

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5. What Brand Computer

• HP/Compaq, Dell, Lenovo (IBM), Sony, Toshiba,
  Acer, Gateway, Asus, emachines
• All have pros cons
• If I were spending my own money I would buy an HP
  desktop and a Lenovo laptop.
• If I were spending your money I would do the same
• Bottom line - only you can evaluate the features
  you must have in the cold harsh light of your
  budget constraints.

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6. Minimum Hardware Requirements

• RAM (assumes Vista) More is Always Better!!!
• 32 bit platform 2 Gb. (XP 1Gb)
• 64 bit platform 4 Gb. (w/slots for more RAM)
• HDD
• 250 300 Gb. Internal
• 200 Gb. External backup
• DVD/CD
• DVD/CD /- RW Dual Layer 16X min. write speed
• DVD/CD read only (optional)
• Video card (assumes Vista)
• Speed memory to effectively run the Aero GUI

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7. Purchase Options

• Direct from manufacturers web site or 800
• Consumer or Business configuration????
• Via the Internet from sites like NewEgg, Tiger
  Direct or eBay
• From Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot, Dept.
  stores, etc.
• From a local computer store like those who
  advertize in the yellow pages
• Custom built for you by a geeky friend

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8. Other Considerations

• Consider carefully what your current needs are
  what you may want to do in the future
• If you do extensive editing of digital photos and
  or movies you need a lot more horsepower than a
  user who surfs the web, sends emails and runs a
  tax prep package.
• Buy as powerful a machine as you can possibly
  afford.
• Resign yourself to the fact that whatever you buy
  - will be obsolete 15 minutes later
• See Richard Woods 03/08 presentation