What are the things you need to look at when buying a computer?

1. 61

   prettydarkhorseposted 11 years ago

   What are the things you need to look at when buying a computer?
   
   When one is buying a  personal computer, aside from the fact that we should first consider the use of it (whether it will be use for school or office/job related needs, web surfing), what are the other things we should look at? Do you consider the price first specification, warranty etc.?

   replyreport
2. 60

   JBrumettposted 11 years ago

   I actually wrote an article on this if you want to read it. Simple answer is upgradable motherboard, a good power supply, case airflow, graphics card (Home Theater or Gaming). Home theater set-up is better for day to day use if you're not looking for a gaming PC. You can build a PC by ordering parts a lot cheaper than ordering one from a mainstream company, but if you need a company to build you one cyberpower or ibuypower build decent sets.  I had one that lasted over 7 years from ibuypower and was still current (except for the ram was previous generation) on all the parts by the time I replaced it.

   replyreport
   1. 61

      prettydarkhorseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your comment, I will take a look at your hub. I don't know how to assemble a PC and I only want a laptop for basic personal needs.

      replyreport
   2. 60

      JBrumettposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Laptops are nice, but be aware they are compact; which means they overheat easily and need to have the bottom fan area exposed to blow out air.  Overheating is the fastest way to reduce the lifetime of a laptop.

      replyreport
3. 78

   EndaMacposted 11 years ago

   It is all about meeting the needs of the user.  The most important thing for me is which type of PC I should buy and I am a laptop person through and through.  Many people still use the old hard drive PC and they are good but I like to take my PC with me so it has to be portable.  Tablets are a big thing right now but as I am not a huge fan of touch screens I don't select those.  I also use Microsoft word, excel etc and these are easily installed on a PC.

   replyreport
   1. 61

      prettydarkhorseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Enda, basically we should assess first what are our needs!

      replyreport
4. 75

   KevinTimothyposted 11 years ago

   Price is always a consideration but the things I look for are:
   
   - Number ports and inputs
   - Processing speed
   - Video card
   - Speakers (if they're stand alone or built into monitor. This matters a lot to me.)
   - Wireless capabilities (will save lots of headaches when setting up a home network.)
   - Number of expansion bays
   - Microsoft Office (a must have in my home)
   - Hard drive space
   - Additional RAM stick slots. 
   
   I'm the type that likes the flexibility of an expanding system.  My computer has to be able to be a major part of my home theater setup.

   replyreport
   1. 61

      prettydarkhorseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Fair enough Kevin, thanks for your input!

      replyreport
5. 65

   maheshpatwalposted 11 years ago

   As already mentioned by you that it depends on the person buying it and usage of it.In general you should always check the processors (if processor is very latest like I5 it will cost more & if you are going for AMD Athlon or earlier versions of intel processors like Atom dual core it will cost you less) , monitors (size , type of the monitor whether LCD or LED HD and multimedia (speaker and woofers) etc. If you are using it for your normal routine work then would suggest to go for low cost desktop or laptop.

   replyreport
   1. 61

      prettydarkhorseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks mahesh for your input. What is a good combination of RAM, HDD plus and Processor?

      replyreport
6. 0

   jlcustompcposted 11 years ago

   You want a good balance and something that is going to be upgradable for a few years.
   
   Kevin made some very good points but I would also say to look into a custom built option. You can get a very nice motherboard with loads of option that is very upgradable and then add components as needed.
   
   For example a $300 motherboard would support, usually, up to 16GB of memory and have USB 3.0 along with the latest CPU's and be backwards compatible with PCI 2.0 and provide PCI-E 1.0 slots as well.
   
   You want more than 1 GPU slot so you can run ATI crossfire or Nvidia SLI to enable high resolutions when gaming or for watch blu-ray movies/3D on the new 3D displays.
   
   www.jlcustompc.com
   
   We build custom OEM computers with full warranties and tech support.

   replyreport
7. 60

   Mittalmailboxposted 11 years ago

   For me the specifications matter a lot.
   1. The technology with which processor is made should be latest like ivy bridge is latest from Intel.
   2. performance and stability in varying environmental conditions according to my country.
   3, RAM size and clock frequency
   4. Storage capacity and data transfer speed.

   replyreport
8. 59

   sethpowersposted 11 years ago

   For 95% of consumers (read: YOU), pretty much any computer these days will do what you need it to do. However, to make sure you are getting the most bang for your buck, the most important things to note are:
   
   -Processor - Essentially the engine of your computer, it designates how fast everything runs. Look for an intel processor i3 or higher.
   -RAM - This is your computer's memory, or how fast you will be able to run multiple programs simultaneously. Look for at least 2GB, and you probably run everything in microsoft office at once without noticing any lag.
   -Hard drive space - This is how much storage space you have on your computer. Everything these days is pretty much equipped with hundreds of GB so unless you are storing massive video files anything over 100GB will be fine. If you need more space you can always pick up an external hard drive for next to nothing.
   -Size - This sounds obvious, but is the computer too big or small? 15" is a typical size for laptops.
   -Brand - Just because the computer you are looking at has the right specs doesn't mean they are all built the same. Certain manufacturers have reputations for building more durable products. Read some customer reviews and/or consumer reports about the ones you are looking at to help make your decision.
   
   Those are the main tenants of a "purchasing-a-new-computer-checklist." You should be able to find all of this stuff for under $700 fairly easily. If you need more information just let me know.

   replyreport
   1. 61

      prettydarkhorseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, how about brands, does it matter?

      replyreport
   2. 59

      sethpowersposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Did you read the answer? I listed brands. I also wrote an entire hub that clearly elucidates everything: http://sethpowers.hubpages.com/hub/What … New-Laptop

      replyreport