Desktop Computer Buying Guide

For many of us, desktop computers are far more than just a tool for writing the occasional email or monitoring the household budget. A computer can be the centre of our world at home, linking us to entertainment, friends and new experiences, while giving us the power to accomplish far more with our time than we'd ever dreamed possible.

Many of us need to stay on top of technology to enjoy the games we love and use the applications that let us do our work. Some of us can get by with less, but we still need a system that can grow with our needs.

How do you know how much computer is enough for you? This guide will shed some light on the subject and help you choose the perfect desktop for you and your family.

Consider Your Needs
While we all want a computer that does what it's supposed to, and does it quickly with minimal fuss, the reality is that many of us have very specific computer needs. Someone who wants a computer for editing their family photos and making a newsletter will need a different type than someone who is going for the high score in the latest online video game.

Basic productivity - Even budget-priced computers perform well enough to handle most basic productivity applications. Whether managing your schedule, doing your banking online or sending an email, most modern computers will have the processing speeds, hard drive space and RAM you need.

Additional features include optical drives and memory card readers so you can enjoy video, photos or games when the work is done.

In this range of products, you can often find package deals that include printers, monitors and speakers. A package takes the guesswork out of assembling a good quality system, and you won't require specialized equipment.

Photos and music - Image and audio files can get to be quite large, and when you've assembled a lot of them, you'll appreciate a computer than can help you navigate your files and run your applications.

Desktops in this range have faster processors, more RAM, larger hard drives and more media options. In addition to the memory card readers available on many models, most will include a DVD RW/CD-RW optical drive. These drives can read and burn re-recordable CDs and DVDs, giving you plenty of options for saving your files. Some support double-layer DVDs, letting you save an amazing amount of data on a disc. If you're archiving your music and photos, it's convenient and efficient to be able to put them all in one place.

Processor speeds in this range climb to some impressive levels - 2.0 to 3.0 GHz, or more - and are assisted by performance enhancements like Hyper Threading technology. This will allow you to work with big files, and also easily multitask, even when you're running demanding applications.

Powerful gaming - The best gaming systems build on the above configurations by adding a series of improvements: graphics cards with built-in memory that are suited to displaying fast motion; additional USB or FireWire ports on front and back to connect game controls; fast network connections for online gaming; big hard drives with fast running speeds; and an operating system that's better suited to the demands of video and audio.

Home entertainment - Arguably, home theatre places the greatest demands on a computer. These systems build on the features and performance you'll find in gaming systems by adding high-definition audio performance (up to 7.1 surround), multimedia keyboards that let you control your video or audio, a remote control, much faster processing, often with dual processors, and a big chunk of RAM.

The latest hot feature in home entertainment is the personal video recorder (PVR), which lets you record TV or other content right onto your hard drive. There's a built-in tuner that can work with digital cable, satellite and antenna transmissions, or FM radio. The PVR function is always recording, so you can freeze, rewind and replay live programming, and save hour upon hour of your favourite shows. As you would expect, that much video can quickly add up, so very large hard drives are standard, and a few models have expansion bays for front-loading removable hard drives.

All of this technology is managed with a specialized Windows® operating system called XP Media Centre Edition 2005, complete with a number of applications for multimedia.

The extra features in this range are superb. Some optical media drives have LightScribe technology that etches a label right onto your disc for archiving home movies or photo slideshows. A few models even include docks into which you can plug a digital camera or an MP3 player.

Under the Hood
Now, let's get into what all of these descriptions mean as we explore what makes a computer "go".

Processor - The processor is the part of the internal mechanism that most closely approximates the engine of a car. A faster processor can cover more ground in a shorter time. When files start to get large and applications and multitasking place major demands on your processor, you will be glad to have some extra speed.

Processor speeds can vary widely, and additions like Hyper Threading Technology give an extra boost to your processor. At Best Buy, processors start with Intel's® Celeron™ line in which processing speeds clock in just under 3.0 gigahertz (GHz). That kind of speed is more than enough for most applications. From there, you will move into Intel's Pentium® 4 line, which is faster than the Celeron. These processing speeds are also in the range of 3.0GHz, but the processors feature additional onboard memory for better performance.

AMD's Athlon™ 64 processor is now used in many computers, and also delivers strong performance for less money, with 64-bit processing improving capabilities even further - great for enhanced gaming, TV and DVD playback. Some Intel processors are also 64-bit compatible.

Once into the upper range of processors, you can expect speeds of 3.0 GHz built into dual processors with even more onboard memory.

Apple's processing speeds may seem to pale by comparison, but the way they are built means that a processor with half the GHz will hold its own against the PCs.
 

Memory (RAM) - When looking at a computer's RAM, you will notice terms like SDRAM and DDR. RAM (random access memory) is the amount of memory available for real-time transactions. This is the capacity your computer has for taking on tasks in between saves to the hard drive. If you have a lot of programs or files open at once your computer will gradually slow down unless there's enough RAM. SDRAM is the standard-speed RAM, while DDR is higher-speed RAM.

It's a good idea to go for more RAM than you think you'll need. Most computers also have extra slots so you can add more RAM later. Computers these days start at about 512MB of RAM and climb to 1GB, or even 4GB with an upgrade.

Hard drive - Hard drive sizes can also vary considerably. You will see drives starting at about 80GB and climbing all the way to an astonishing 500GB. These larger drives are well suited for Media Center PCs, so you can save hours and hours of recorded TV.
Drives are also listed with different speeds. Entry-level hard drives tend to run at 5400 RPM, while higher-performance drives run at around 7200 RPM. Faster drives are great for games, as well as multimedia work.

Making it Work
The operating systems you can choose from will also impact performance. Windows XP seems to be the current standard, and does a great job, while Windows XP Media Centre Edition gives a heavy boost to your computer's multimedia functions.

Apple's Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger is also great for multimedia and communication, and comes bundled with photo, music and moviemaking software.

Sound and Vision
The audio and video cards installed in your computer can also limit performance. For many entry-level computers, these cards are built right into the motherboard. These built-in versions run on system memory, instead of on their own memory, which places an additional burden on your system and slows performance.

Above entry-level models, you should be able to upgrade with a new audio or video card, with its own installed memory. A good amount of memory in a video card is in the range of 256MB, and some cards have their own microprocessors built in, for even better DVD and game performance.

Some audio cards include connections to link directly to your audio receiver for a full home theatre experience. Some are compatible with Dolby® Digital surround sound and can produce 5.1, 6.1 and even 7.1 performance, which uses five, six, or seven surround speakers (including the centre channel) plus a subwoofer.

Add to the Package
Adding some handy accessories will make your computer more versatile and easier to use. Most computers come with a good keyboard and mouse, but you can add an ergonomic keyboard or one with built-in multimedia controls for a more efficient and comfortable experience.

Wireless keyboard and mouse combinations are a great way to get you away from your desk. Connect your PC to an LCD TV, if compatible, and you can do your computing wirelessly from the couch.

Desktop computer technology is becoming incredibly advanced, but buying one doesn't need to be complicated. Just think about what you want your computer to do, and what you'll need it to do in the future, and you'll soon have a system that keeps pace with you today and grows with your needs