How to Buy a Computer?
In this chapter, we will supply relevant information to help you
buy a desktop on component by component basis. As desktops are highly
customizable, so it is better to learn about the main parts and then visit the
manufacturer or the retailer shop or site, instead of just looking at some
specific model directly.
Popular desktop brands are Dell, Lenovo, HP and Apple. Always
compare the desktops based on their specifications and base price.
Monitor
·
Size − It is the diagonal size of the LCD screen. Larger the
area, bigger the picture screen. A bigger picture is preferable for movie
watching and gaming. It will increase the productivity as well.
·
Resolution − This is the number of pixels on the screen. For
example, 24inch display is 1920x1200 (width by length) and 22-inch display is
1680x1050. High resolution provides better picture quality and a nice gaming
experience.
·
Inputs − Now-a-days monitors can accept inputs from cable as
well apart from the computer. They can also have USB ports.
·
Stand − Some monitors come with adjustable stands while some
may not.
·
Recommended − 24 Inch LCD.
Operating System
·
Operating System is the main software of the computer as everything
will run on it in one form or other.
·
There are primarily three choices: Windows, Linux, Apple OS
X.
·
Linux is free, however people generally do not use it for
home purpose.
·
Apple OS X works only on Apple desktops.
·
Windows 7 is very popular among desktop users.
·
Most of the computers come pre-equipped with Windows 7 Starter
edition.
·
Windows 8 is recently introduced and is available in the
market.
·
Windows 7 and Windows 8 come in multiple versions from
starter, home basic, home premium, professional, ultimate, and enterprise
editions.
·
As the edition version increases, their features list and price
increases.
·
Recommended − Windows 7 Home Premium.
Optical Drive (CD / DVD / Blu-ray)
·
Optical drive is the drive on a computer, which is responsible for
using CD, DVD, and Blu-ray discs.
·
Now-a-days, DVD burners are industry standards.
·
DVD Burner can burn CD, DVD and play them.
·
DVD Burner is cheaper than Blu-ray drives.
·
Blu-ray drives can play HD movies but are costlier component.
·
Recommended − DVD Burner.
Memory
·
RAM is considered as Computer Memory as the performance of a
computer is directly proportional to its memory and processor.
·
Today's software and operating system require high memory.
·
Today commonly used RAM is DDR3, which operates at 1066Mhz.
·
As per Windows 7, 1 GB is the minimum RAM required to function
properly.
·
Recommended − 4 GB.
Hard Drive
·
Hard disk is used for storage purpose. Higher the capacity, more
data you can save in it.
·
Now-a-days computers are equipped with 500GB hard drive, which can
be extended to 2TB.
·
Most hard drives in desktop operate at the standard performance
speed of 7200RPM.
·
Recommended − 500GB.
CPU
·
Frequency (GHz) − This determines the speed of the processor.
More the speed, better the CPU.
·
Cores − Now-a-days CPUs come with more than one core, which
is like having more than one CPU in the computer. Programs which can take
advantage of multi-core environment will run faster on such machines.
·
Brand − Intel or AMD. Both are equivalent. Intel is in lead.
·
Cache − Higher the L1, L2 cache, better the CPU performance.
·
Recommended − Intel Core i3-3225 3.30 GHz Processor.
