When choosing a computer there are three main things you should keep in mind.

1. How much are you willing to spend?

Do you want to spend under $1000, over $1000 over even over $2000. This can help when look at computers. Remember though the less money you spend the less your going to get from the computer.

2. What will be the main use of the computer?

Depending on what you want to do with the computer there are different thing you should be looking for.

If you are going to use the computer to do office work, like excel, word, PowerPoint, checking emails and so on, then you don't need a high powered machine. You might want to look for a computer with a big hard drive so you can save all your office work. Other then that anything on the market today will do the job.

If you plan to use your computers to edit pictures and videos then there is more you want too look at. You want to have a large hard drive space, probably 250GB or more, for video editing maybe a 500GB hard drive would be best. You also want a fast CPU, this will help when editing videos especially. I recommend a Dual Core 2.4Ghz or greater. Then you will want a decent amount of RAM (Random Access Memory). A lot of RAM is good so programs don’t freeze and lock up, you don’t want to have that happen in the middle of an edit. 2Gb of RAM is plenty for video and picture editing.

If you plan on using the computer to play video games then you should be looking at things like video cards, RAM, and CPU speed. A good video card is a must if you are going to be a serious gamer, the best video card or the second best video card on the market is a must. Also RAM is good to have lots of. Video games just use more an more RAM ever time a new one comes out, so having plenty will allow you to keep playing games for a couple of years. CPU speed is also a must. Depending on what type of games you want to play each requires different amount of CPU power. I would recommend no less then a Dual Core 2.6Ghz.

So knowing what you are going to be using the computer for can help make the decision easier.

3. The question that is on a lot of peoples mind now of days. Do I want a Mac or a Pc?

Now I rant about this to all my friends all the time when they want to get new computers, but the decision is up to you. Personally I would go for a PC, just because they is so much more software available for it. Also tech support for a PC is easy to find.

If you want to do video and picture editing, and your are kind of new to that sort of thing then I would recommend to get a Mac, just because the iMovie and iPhoto (not sure if iPhoto is the actual name) are very simple tools to use when editing videos or pictures.

For office work and playing video games I would recommend a PC. Just because you would need all the fancy do dads of a Mac. Also because more video games are out for PC then Mac.

Now when i want to get a new computer I write down what i want in it, and what sort of things i expect to do with it. This helps you keep your thoughts focussed when looking for a computer.

My personal recommendation if you’re going to buy a new computer is; buy it from Dell. Their site is user friendly and it allows you to customize your computer on the spot. Giving you the advantage to choose what you want in it. Dell has different levels of computers from simple nothing fancy models to extreme gamer machines. I recommend taking a look at their site to get ideas for yourself.

Buy a computer is a tough decision, ‘cause it's something you want to last you a few years. So put time into thinking about what you want, it will help with making the right decision.

I hope that this doesn’t make you even more confused =P