September has arrived and lots of people I know are looking to buy new computers, either for their kids for the new academic year, or for themselves (maybe because they want to congratulate themselves for surviving summer without committing infanticide). Here are my guidelines for buying a new computer. When considering a new purchase there are a number of things to weigh up to get the perfect machine.
- Think firstly about how you are going to use this computer. Are you going to be travelling around with it, or will you mostly be using it in your study at home? A desktop model is always better value for money. Things don't have to be miniaturised, so components are cheaper and easier to buy and you will always get more bang for your buck. But unless you are likely to be the sort who enjoys going to LAN parties, you won't want to lug your desktop around. If you like your computing on the move, then a laptop will be best for you.
- If you've decided on a laptop, think about how often you'll travel with it. The more you lug it around, the more grateful your back will be for a small, light laptop. But, the disadvantage of small is that capacity and power are lessened.
- What are you going to be doing with this computer? If you're mostly about emails, surfing the 'Net and writing the occasional document, then you probably don't need the top of the range, latest Alienware gaming computer. If you want it to be able to play a specific game, get the minimum specs for that game and make sure you buy something that meets at least that minimum spec.
- How long do you want this computer to last? The average life of a desktop these days is about 5 years, laptops 3. The better the machine you buy now, the longer it will last you.
The tech explained (as simply as I can):
The speed of a computer is made up of a number of items. The one most advertised is processor speed (in GHz). Generally, the higher the number, the faster the processor. BUT you'll also see Dual Core and Quad Core mentioned. A Dual Core processor has two cores and a Quad has four. Therefore, a lower numbered Quad will be faster than a higher numbered Dual. Intel has a range of processors out at the moment named i5 and i7. Again, a higher numbered i5 will be about the same as a low numbered i7.
But the processor doesn't act alone. How fast the hard drive spins will impact. Most hard drives (referred to as the HDD) run either at 5400 or 7400 RPM. The faster drives are generally found in desktops and the slower in laptops (unless you're talking the high end of laptops). There are new solid state drives (SSDs) which don't spin at all, therefore they have the fastest access times.
Next is the speed of the bus on the motherboard. You don't generally see the Bus Speed advertised and you really have no control over it. However, the more expensive the computer, generally the faster the bus.
Finally, the final thing that impacts the speed of a computer is the amount of Random Access Memory (RAM). The more RAM a computer has, the more it can process before having to save to the drive. Let me explain. When you start up a program on your computer, it reads the HDD and loads the program into RAM. As you work with the program, the computer saves information out of RAM back to the HDD (in what is called the swap file). The more that it can hold in RAM, the less often it has to save to the swap file, thus making your experience faster.
So, you can see that when people say "I want a fast computer", the issue is complex. It gets further complicated when you start to talk about the graphics card, which usually has its own processor, RAM and Bus to worry about. Again, generally, the faster the processor, the more amount of RAM and the faster the Bus of the graphics card, the better your experience will be. If you're getting into that much detail, then this blog probably isn't for you.
What Operating System?
"Woah, step back" I hear you cry! What's an Operating System? The OS is what allows you to run your computer. In general terms, if you buy a Mac, the OS is OSx (named, Mountain Lion, Tiger, Mandrake, or whatever name they want to give it at the moment), if you buy a PC, the OS sold with it will be a version of Windows (at the time of writing, either Windows 7 or Windows 8). To complicate things further, Macs can now run Windows and PCs can run versions of Linux, like Ubuntu. A computer boots up the OS to the desktop and you then run your programs, or applications, for there.
For the majority of the readers here, we'll be talking about Windows. Whether or not you choose to go for Windows 7 or 8 will depend on what the computer ships with. It will probably be Windows 8 but you may have the option to take a "downgrade" to Windows 7. If you are a Windows Vista or current 7 user, staying with 7 might be the best choice. But Windows 8 has some features built into it that you might find useful. Don't be afraid of it. Whatever version you go for, ask if it is the 64-bit version. This is important. Remember the discussion about RAM and how the more there was, the better? Well, a 32-bit version of Windows cannot use more than 4Gb RAM. Therefore, if you buy a computer that has the capability of holding 16Gb RAM, but it only runs a 32-bit version of Windows, your upgrade options are limited.
What size hard drive?
Again, think about what you are using this for. The new SSDs are fast, but small for the price. The older HDDs are slower, but if you're working with large photo or video files, you might find that the SSDs that ship with your computer are too small for your needs. Think of your hard drive as the filing cabinet. This is where everything is filed away when not in use. If you'd like to play a lot of games, then you might consider a more customised machine with the primary drives being solid state and a bigger traditional HDD.
So, armed with all this information, you should be able to write a list of requirements:
- Desktop or laptop. If laptop, lightweight or not?
- Gaming and heavy graphics use or documents, emails and surfing?
- How long are you expecting it to last?
- Windows or MacOS?
- HDD or SSD?
Research - educate yourself
I'm often asked "what specific model should I buy?" Unfortunately, models change too frequently for me to say that. Chances are, by the time you shop for the model I recommend, it'll have been superseded or be out of stock.
But, don't despair. Google Is Your Friend. Go online a search "buy a computer". You'll be inundated with hits. So, look through the list of computers presented to you. Think about your budget. Look at computers at the top end of your budget. Make a note of the specifications. Based on your reading above, will they do what you need them to do? If the answer is no, then you'll need to rethink your budget. If you think they'll exceed your needs, then you might want to look at the specs for cheaper machines. A low-cost machine is not going to run that high-end game no matter how much you wish, but will be perfect for general stuff. I'm currently looking into a new machine for myself and have determined that while I'd like to have the speed an SSD will give me, I would have to spend far too much to get the space I need and a 7400RPM HDD will do the job.
Look around for packages and cash back offers. Some places offer the same machine as another, but will throw in extra RAM, or a case for a laptop. But, be careful. Make a note of the exact model number. A site will list what looks like the same computer for cheaper, but if you look at the model number, it's different, which means that something under the bonnet will be vastly different - usually a lower spec motherboard (refer to the section about Buses on Motherboards above).
Now, at this point, I find it easiest to go into my friendly nearest computer superstore. It is likely, however, that now that you've read this far, you know more about computers than the spotty youth who comes to serve you. Be nice to them as they'll be able unlock the computer and let you have a go - useful if you've not seen a computer since XP. It's a great place to do a comparison shop. Make a note of what you liked and didn't like. This will also be where you determine if you'd like a new monitor and whether you'd prefer a wireless mouse and keyboard. Don't buy anything at this point.
I suggest you go home again and get back on the Internet. Now that you've seen the boxes up front and made a note of specific models you liked, search for those specific things and see what is being offered. Most of the big box companies now offer a "find it sold locally for cheaper and we'll match (or better) that price" deal. It usually has to be an actual shop, not online, to qualify.
How's your budget holding up? Yeah, thought so. Once you've added monitor etc, you budget starts to look a little shakey, doesn't it? That's why you never buy on the first visit. Stop for a minute and think about what you need. Do you really need that five-button wireless rechargable mouse? Most of us don't know what to do with three buttons, let alone five, and a battery operated mouse will last for about 6 months between battery changes if kept properly. Do you need the 12-speaker surround system that looked really good in the shop or is the sound of an incoming mail message coming from all around you really overkill?
Now that you've determined what you need and what you can afford, it is time to actually shop. Where you buy it from is entirely up to you. You will probably get a better price online, but taking it back if something goes wrong in the warranty period might be more complex. If you deal with someone face to face, you might be able to negotiate with the sales person for those extras I mentioned above. But, if you're buying from a store, go in armed with model numbers and prices you gathered doing your research so that you know up front what to expect.
Some stores will offer a service to deliver and install your new PC for you. Most of them won't transfer data from your old machine, so make sure you're confident on how to do that.
Or, call me!
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