Purchasing a New Computer
Making one’s way through the labyrinth of technical terms, computer jargon and specs can be a daunting task at best and impossible at worst. MCT can help you through this labyrinth so you experience a fun and satisfying computer purchase. Our knowledgeable staff will come right to your home or office and guide you through the process of selecting your new computer(s). We offer guidance on where to buy and how to configure your new system.
If you wish to work through the process on your own, the following is a guide that explains the terminology you will incur as you shop for a new system.
Processor (CPU)
Operating System
Memory (aka RAM)
Hard Drive
Optical Drives
Monitors
Video Card (aka Graphics Card)
Sound
USB Ports
Firewire (aka 1394) Ports
Floppy Drive
Custom Built Machines
Processor (CPU)
The processor is the computer. It is what allows your computer to work and determines how fast your computer completes the actions your request. There are two main companies providing processors: Intel and AMD. Both firms offer a low-end chip, or CPU, and a high-end chip. The less expensive chips from Intel are the Celeron Processors and from AMD come the Sempron Processors. The high-end AMD chips are the Athlon 64x2 Processors; the high-end Intel chips are the Intel Core 2 Duo Processors. The question becomes, of course, which do you need? If all you do is run simple applications such as Word, Excel and other office applications, the low-end chips will provide all the power you need. But in today’s world computer users are working with photos, music, surfing the Internet, writing email, burning CD’s and DVD’s and working on that letter to the company President all at the same time. If that describes you, then you will be better served by the high-end chips. For more information on Processors and their place in your computer, check out PC World at www.pcworld.com and/or PC Magazine at www.pcmag.com.
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Operating System
The operating system is the software used by the computer to run all the applications, or programs, installed on your computer. This software is offered by our friends out in Redmond, WA, Microsoft Corporation. Operating systems have evolved from the basic DOS, to the Windows 3.x versions, to Windows 95, 98 and ME, as well as Windows 2000 and, of course, Windows XP. The current offering from our friends in Redmond is Windows Vista, and it comes in several different flavors, er versions:
Windows Vista Home Basic
This is what it sounds like, the very bones of the Vista system. Here you’ll be getting a fancier version of Windows XP with a new look and the basic upgrades that Microsoft incorporated into Vista. Most noticeably among these is the new search function, making files on your computer and information on the internet easier to find than in XP. It has a basic usability, but the only reason not to upgrade further is if your system is unable to handle Vista, in which case upgrading the OS is not a good idea.
Windows Home Premium
The step up from Home Basic incorporates the features that most users are likely to be looking for with the media focus of XP’s Media Center Edition. This includes Windows Media Player, photo organizers and improved programs to burn CD’s and DVD’s without the need for third party programs. Even if these media features aren’t needed the Premium edition includes the Aero interface which, while heavy on graphics, has the potential to make the old Alt-Tab process infinitely smoother. Premium is also the earliest edition that offers improved file sharing over a network and system backups, something no user should be without and made easier by automation. And, of course, everyone’s favorite part of Window’s gets an upgrade with premium introducing Mahjong, Chess, and “Inkball” to the list of standard games. For laptop users Home Premium introduces features to make the experience more enjoyable with Windows Mobility Center and offers Tablet PC support as well.
Windows Vista Business
With Vista’s Business edition the majority of Home Premium’s features are offered, but with some exceptions. Business edition allows for the backup of not only software but for full system recovery in case of failure, and to prevent the need for this programs to protect against hardware failure are also included. Business also introduces improved connectivity programs to allow for easier access to small networks, allowing for easier networking and sharing among computers. Business sacrifices the media oriented aspects of Premium, such as improved DVD burning, but switches in the ability the create High Definition DVD movies. As with all Vista versions after Home Basic, Business is set up to manage laptops and tablets with ease.
Windows Vista Ultimate
Ultimate incorporates all the features of Home Premium and Business into one package. This edition takes the upgraded networking of Business and the HD (High Definition) movie capability and adds in improved DVD burning, and Photo management of Home Premium. The one new feature in Ultimate is the improved data protection of BitLocker Drive encryption, which better ensures the safety of important documents and information stored on a personal hard drive.
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Memory (aka RAM)
So what does RAM mean? RAM stands for Random Access Memory. What it means to you is how fast your computer can run multiple programs at the same time. The more memory, the faster you computer handles the appetites of all those hungry programs. For Windows XP machines you should have a minimum of 512MB (MB stands for megabytes, just a way of measuring memory). For Windows Vista machines you should have a minimum of 1GB (gigabyte) of memory, although MCT recommends 2GB.
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Hard Drive
The hard drive is the place where all your programs and data are stored. Think of your hard drive as a closet in your home. You can have a small closet or you can have a nice, big walk-in closet. The bigger the closet, the more you can store and the easier it is to find stuff. The same applies to the hard drive in your computer: the more space you have, the easier it is to store things and find, or access, those things when you need them. Space on a hard drive is measured in gigabytes; with standard sizes ranging from 60GB upwards to 250GB. All your software (including Windows), files, data, music, pictures, etc. comprise those “things” stored on your hard drive that you need to find. So how much space do you need? If you are simply working with email and documents, the smaller sizes of 60 to 80GB would do just fine. If you plan to have a lot of digital photos or music stored on your computer, go with the larger options, although 120GB should suffice for most users. Only the hard-core collectors of digital photos and music, or gamers, would need the larger hard drives. One last word about hard drives: you will see reference to Serial ATA (SATA) and IDE hard drives. Do not be confused by this. For all practical purposes, you will be satisfied with either a SATA or IDE hard drive.
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Optical Drives
Optical drives are either CD or DVD players and/or recorders (aka burners or writers). The most common drive in the market is a “combo” drive: it reads and writes CD’s and reads DVD’s. This means you can play music CD’s or look at pictures saved (burned, recorded, written) to a CD, save files to a CD and watch a DVD movie, all using the same drive. Another commonly available drive is the DVD+/-RW drive. That’s a lot of letters and this is what they mean: this drive will play (read) both CD’s and DVD’s as well as burn information to both CD’s and DVD’s. The cost of these drives has dropped dramatically in the past year. If you have an enormous amount of material on your computer to back up, or if you envision saving movies, for example, to your PC and then burning them to a DVD, you will definitely want the DVD+/-RW drive. Otherwise, simply choose the standard combo drive described earlier.
One last note on optical drives: some systems offer dual drives, that is two separate drives in the same computer. This can be a good option because it allows you to use one drive as a player and the other drive as a burner when you are copying discs; or to listen to a music CD on one drive while using the other drive to look at pictures saved on the disk; or anything you can imagine doing with two drives at the same time.
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Monitors
Flat panel, LCD monitors are the way to go today. But the choices are many: do you buy 17”, 19” or larger; what is contrast ratio; what is refresh rate; do you want widescreen? So many choices – let’s see if we can make the decision easier.
Widescreen vs. Standard – If you plan to watch a lot of movies on your computer, then widescreen is the automatic choice. But even if you do not plan to make a theater of your PC, widescreen monitors serve a good purpose: you can have two programs open at the same time, have them share the screen and still view enough of both programs to easily work on both. That is just not truly possible on a standard size monitor, no matter how big it is, because it is the widescreen ratio that allows one to view both programs so easily.
Size – the choice between 17”, 19” and 20” is really a matter of personal preference, based on space considerations and, more importantly, eye sight issues. If you have any issues with your vision, the larger the monitor the easier it will be to use. Going larger than 20” is definitely a user preference.
Contrast Ratio – this is simply a measurement of the monitor’s ability to display true black, instead of dark gray. It is listed as 500:1 or 800:1, for example, which are the most common ratios. For most purposes, 500 or 800:1 contrast ratios are just fine. If you are a gamer or a perfectionist about how pictures, graphics and movies will look on your monitor, go for a higher ratio. A 2000:1 contrast ratio is about as high, and as good, as it gets.
Refresh Rate – this is a measurement of how fast your monitor refreshes its picture. It is listed as 8ms, for example, where ms equals milliseconds. 8ms is the most common rating and is acceptable for most users. The lower the number, the faster the refresh rate, and I have seen monitors rated at 2ms refresh rate. Only a true, hard core gamer would notice the difference.
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Video Card (aka Graphics Card)
How well your computer displays visuals is dependent not just on the monitor, but on the Video Card as well. Many systems come with the video card integrated on the Motherboard of the computer. If you use your computer for basic documents and spreadsheets, web browsing, email and games such as Solitaire and Free Cell, this is a good solution for you. It is also the least expensive, which makes it that much nicer. But if you envision using your computer to play video intensive games or work with and edit digital photos, you may want to consider buying a system with a separate video card. ATI Radeon and nVidia Geforce are two of the more common Video Card upgrades available in the marketplace today.
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Sound
If you are going to enjoy all that sound and music your computer is able to offer, you need to be able to hear it. That is what Integrated Audio, or a Sound Card, and speakers will provide. As with video, most systems come with Integrated Audio on the Motherboard. This is usually all that most users require. But if you want a truly awesome sound experience, consider adding a Sound Card such as SoundBlaster cards available from Creative Labs. Of course, you must have speakers to hear the sound produced by the Integrated Audio or Sound Card. The better the speaker system, the better the sound, but most $20-$30 speaker systems will give you all the quality you need. Unless you are looking for a “concert hall surround sound” experience, there is no need to look for higher quality speakers, and the higher cost.
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USB Ports
Most peripherals from printers to palm units to digital cameras to webcams are all connecting via USB ports these days. Most new systems come with 4 to 6 ports which generally are more than enough. But if you feel you want extra USB ports, our recommendation is that you simply buy a USB Hub from your nearest Best Buy, Office Depot, CompUSA, etc.
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Firewire (aka 1394) Ports
Another method of connecting peripherals to computers. Developed by Apple for the Mac computers, it is not a necessary option if your system does not offer it. But many new PC’s today are offering Firewire connection.
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Floppy Drive
These old drives and the little 3.25” discs are just about gone in today’s marketplace, replaced by CD, DVD and Memory Stick technologies. But if you are still using floppy discs, then be sure to ask for a floppy drive to be added to your new system. If the manufacturer cannot comply, you can still buy an external floppy drive that will connect to your computer via a USB cable.
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Custom Built Machines
While MCT will be pleased to help you select a name brand machine that fits your needs, if you desire a computer that is customized to your exact specifications, we offer custom built machines. Created to cater to exact needs, these machines can reflect your desires as a computer user, allowing you to do more specialized tasks than a name brand machine. Whatever you want to accomplish with your computer, MCT can help you achieve that goal with a specially built, custom PC. For any system questions or concerns phone 847/644-0415 or click here to e-mail
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