( 
)Buying a computer can be a daunting task for someone who doesn't really understand them, this is my guide to help you get the computer that will do what you need it to do.
Never played Crysis or Doom 3? Mabey solitare is more your thing, and reading how to build electric generators online is your idea of computer fun. Well, if thats the case then you really don't need a $1000 computer. Usually a 3-4 hundred dollar computer from best buy can do what you need. For the humble Ebay shopper, there are some things you will need to look for in order to make certain you are buying what you need.
Memory-
512 MB was enough RAM a while back for the casual computer, but with things like Windows Vista coming around and all of the new neat internet applications we are downloading, it can be a bit too small for today's world. 1GB is the minimum you should have in the computer you are purchasing, and I personally recommend 2GB to future proof it, and if the computer uses Windows Vista.
Processor-
In this class of computer shopper, Intel and AMD probably don't mean anything to you. For your casual everyday needs an Intel Pentium 4 processor is about the minimum you would want to buy. An AMD Athlon 3800 is probably the lowest you would want to go on the other end. The higher the number the better, and if it says dual core on it you will be more than satisfied with your performance.
Hard Drive-
When doing simple computing you really should make sure your computer has at least 80 to 160GB of memory. This usually more than enough for your photos and videos and a few games.
Optical Drive-
When it comes to the optical drive in your computer, it really helps to know what you are going to want to do with it. A simple DVD drive will let you watch your movies, and use anything on a CD. It will also let you burn CD's. The thing that confuses many people (at least around my town) is thinking that a DVD drive will burn DVD's too. In order to do this you will need your computer to have a DVD RW drive in it.
A professional setup will require different things depending on what you are doing. You will definitely want to have at least 2GB of RAM in the computer, and upping it to 4GB wouldn't hurt. Some high end Video Editing programs will really benefit from the upgrade. As for a processor, a dual core is a must. Make sure it's a fast one too, at least 2.2 GHz, and I would reccommend higher personally. As I am an AMD fan myself, I can say that my AMD Athlon x2 4200 processor is more than enough for my studio. Photoshop CS3, Illustrator, Cakewalk, and other high end applications work perfectly on it. Video editors would still probably want to up the speed as high as they could afford though. As for a Hard drive, a 360 GB or above is recommended by me. I fill even that space up pretty quickly with my designs and photo editings. For the perfect setup I would definitely recommend 500GB at least. Thats more than enough room for a setup.
What about a MAC?
You will see a lot of mixed opinions on the net about MAC's. I work in an environment that uses both, so I can say from experience that MACs are far better than many let on. For a Graphic Designer and Video Editor it is definitely something to consider, and any other professional should at least give them a look. It is true that they have the same parts as a normal PC and yet cost sometimes hundreds of dollars more (The Macbook Air being a prime example), but this could be well justified. The overall layout of the Mac operating system is very nice and clean, and lets you work in an almost perfect environment. That alone makes it worth the money to me. Heck, I've even modeled all of the PC's I use to have the layout of a MAC.
For the Casual Computer
Never played Crysis or Doom 3? Mabey solitare is more your thing, and reading how to build electric generators online is your idea of computer fun. Well, if thats the case then you really don't need a $1000 computer. Usually a 3-4 hundred dollar computer from best buy can do what you need. For the humble Ebay shopper, there are some things you will need to look for in order to make certain you are buying what you need.
Memory-
512 MB was enough RAM a while back for the casual computer, but with things like Windows Vista coming around and all of the new neat internet applications we are downloading, it can be a bit too small for today's world. 1GB is the minimum you should have in the computer you are purchasing, and I personally recommend 2GB to future proof it, and if the computer uses Windows Vista.
Processor-
In this class of computer shopper, Intel and AMD probably don't mean anything to you. For your casual everyday needs an Intel Pentium 4 processor is about the minimum you would want to buy. An AMD Athlon 3800 is probably the lowest you would want to go on the other end. The higher the number the better, and if it says dual core on it you will be more than satisfied with your performance.
Hard Drive-
When doing simple computing you really should make sure your computer has at least 80 to 160GB of memory. This usually more than enough for your photos and videos and a few games.
Optical Drive-
When it comes to the optical drive in your computer, it really helps to know what you are going to want to do with it. A simple DVD drive will let you watch your movies, and use anything on a CD. It will also let you burn CD's. The thing that confuses many people (at least around my town) is thinking that a DVD drive will burn DVD's too. In order to do this you will need your computer to have a DVD RW drive in it.
For the Professional
A professional setup will require different things depending on what you are doing. You will definitely want to have at least 2GB of RAM in the computer, and upping it to 4GB wouldn't hurt. Some high end Video Editing programs will really benefit from the upgrade. As for a processor, a dual core is a must. Make sure it's a fast one too, at least 2.2 GHz, and I would reccommend higher personally. As I am an AMD fan myself, I can say that my AMD Athlon x2 4200 processor is more than enough for my studio. Photoshop CS3, Illustrator, Cakewalk, and other high end applications work perfectly on it. Video editors would still probably want to up the speed as high as they could afford though. As for a Hard drive, a 360 GB or above is recommended by me. I fill even that space up pretty quickly with my designs and photo editings. For the perfect setup I would definitely recommend 500GB at least. Thats more than enough room for a setup.
What about a MAC?
You will see a lot of mixed opinions on the net about MAC's. I work in an environment that uses both, so I can say from experience that MACs are far better than many let on. For a Graphic Designer and Video Editor it is definitely something to consider, and any other professional should at least give them a look. It is true that they have the same parts as a normal PC and yet cost sometimes hundreds of dollars more (The Macbook Air being a prime example), but this could be well justified. The overall layout of the Mac operating system is very nice and clean, and lets you work in an almost perfect environment. That alone makes it worth the money to me. Heck, I've even modeled all of the PC's I use to have the layout of a MAC.
For Gamers
For PC Gaming it really depends on what you want. If you just want to be able to play all of the latest games, you can get in cheaper. For the most high end graphics, you will need much more. PC gaming can be a really rewarding thing to do, especially if the Xbox 360 or PS3 haven't been able to quench your graphical thirst. With the right computer you will be playing games that look sometimes MUCH better than either of those systems can offer. Here's a quick overview of the basics; you need at least a AMD Athlon 4200 processor (thats what I have in my main computer), but going above that is highly recommended. If you want to do high-end gaming, a 500watt or above power supply is something I would make sure was in it. At least 2GB of ram is a MUST. Anything above would be better. The big decesion has always been the graphics card though. If you are only wanting to be able to at least play all the latest games at a decent graphic setting, a Geforce 8600 is the least you should buy. As for the high end stuff, I use a Geforce 8800 GT OC. This card allows me to get about 15 Frames Per Second on Crysis with everything except Volumetric effects, shadows, and textures maxed. Textures and shadows, are still set at high, and I use no Anti-Aliasing. This is all done at 1440 x 900 resolution. This card can definitely have you gaming good and it only costs around 175 bucks at Tigerdirect.com. If you need the VERY BEST, make sure the computer has an SLI mode motherboard and has 2 Geforce 9800's running. This is VERY expensive, but will get you some of the best graphics availible today. Thanks for reading.
Guide created: 07/20/08
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