Hardware Introduction
The pages following this one describe the main components and what you need to know about them. What they do, and how it affects you and your particular computing requirements.
The main components that you need to be aware of when deciding your requirements are listed below in approximate order of importance to the average user.
Don't worry if you don't entirely understand, each component is described in more detail if you follow the links at the bottom of this and subsequent pages.
The display, otherwise known as a monitor or screen.
CRT screens are history except for a few digital graphics folk who swear by CRT colour rendering. You want an LCD screen and you want at least 19" See it before you buy it or at least find a reliable review! More here.
RAM (random access memory).
The more the better. 512MB is good, 1GB is better, 2GB is best. But it depends upon your usage. In the early '90s I paid $1000 for 16MB of RAM, now you could buy 1000 times as much for far less. Don't skimp on it.
For Vista 1GB is good, 2GB is better, 3GB is best. If you have 64-bit Vista go for 4GB or more.
Hard disk drive (HDD)
The bigger the better. 120GB or more. On new machines 250GB should be a minimum.
CD drive or combination CD/DVD drive.
You need a drive which can read and write Rewritable CDs and DVDs. If you're planning to install or upgrade to Windows Vista you must have DVD capability.
CPU (central processing unit).
The brains of your computer. The latest and fastest carry a very heavy price premium. You could buy a good complete computer for the price of the latest speed demon CPU. Absolutely not necessary. Go with last year's model. Or even the year before's. Anything 2GHz or better will do the job for most people.
Graphics card (Video Display Adaptor).
Good to have, but you don't need an expensive card unless you have a particularly demanding graphics requirement: graphic design, CAD, high demand games or digital video. Any card from a reputable manufacturer with 128MB of video RAM will do the job for normal mortals.
Keyboard and mouse.
Don't buy junk — good stuff isn't expensive. The keyboard keys should have good "feedback" and not be too noisy. The mouse should feel comfortable in your hand and slide freely on most surfaces. Wireless mice and keyboards are not a necessity and in fact have some disadvantages. I still use wired devices.
Printer and scanner.
You want a 4 or 5 cartridge inkjet printer. Steer clear of 3 cartridge printers – they give bad black reproduction. The price and capacity of refills is important. The manufacturers make little, if any, profit from cheap printers but they do very nicely thank you from the huge profit on cartridges.
What about all these sockets and cables? It's a Los Angeles spaghetti junction!
That's all explained further along, starting here.
Should I buy a notebook PC?
It depends upon your budget, your space, and your mobility. More later.
These matters are all covered in detail on the following pages.
If you are about to buy a computer, or upgrade your existing computer, and you're not sure what you need, or even what you need to know, click on the button below:
