What PC should I buy?
I get asked this so many times I have decided to make a blog entry to refer people to. The below assumes you are after an everyday PC for surfing, emails word processing etc..
Brand: HP/Compaq, Acer, Toshiba(laptops), Dell
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (i7 is better but expensive)
RAM (memory): Not less than 2GB - more if you into photo / video editing
Hard Disk Drive (storage): Not less than 120GB - more if you are into photo's and as much as possible if you into video editing.
Operating system: Windows XP Pro 32bit for business, Windows 7 64bit for home (check you existing software and peripherals are compatible)
AntiVirus: Home - AVG Free & MalwareBytes Free. Business - depends on setup.
Other Software: Do you need Microsoft Office? Home and Student 2007 gives Word, Excel and Power Point licensed for 3 PC's at around £80. 2007 Pro is for business at about £320 - discounted licensing options are available for multiple copies.
Where to buy: ebuyer.com - dabs.com - pcwb.co.uk - if you prefer to buy in a shop go to PC World but don't let them sell you extras! Sorry, I don't want to sell you one as there's no margin in it anymore and I don't want to pass the VAT threshold!
Second Hand: In my opinion second hand is never worth it as new is now so cheap and certain PC components do wear out.
Independent Shops: Support them if you can but make sure you have a genuine Windows license sticker on the case with a product key on - without this you do not have a legal copy of Windows and I see this allot! Also be aware that with a home built PC you cannot just go to hp.com etc.. to download drivers/software in the future - this is also true of many of the more 'Mickey mouse' brands.
The only other considerations are some PC's will have firewire (aka iLink aka IEEE1394) which you may want to connect your video camera to your PC with. Do you need a wireless network connection? Laptops will have them, desktops generally won’t but if you can use the wired connection it's much better.
You may find a media card reader handy for digital camera memory cards and most PC's have them now. With laptops 15" screen is the norm and is a good compromise between ease of use and portability - 17" makes for a big machine but well suited if it's going to stay on your desk. If you'd like to make video calls then a laptop with a built in webcam is a neat solution. Don't forget to buy a decent case with your laptop if you'll be carrying it around.
When you've bought it don't forget to give me a call to set it up for you!
Brand: HP/Compaq, Acer, Toshiba(laptops), Dell
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (i7 is better but expensive)
RAM (memory): Not less than 2GB - more if you into photo / video editing
Hard Disk Drive (storage): Not less than 120GB - more if you are into photo's and as much as possible if you into video editing.
Operating system: Windows XP Pro 32bit for business, Windows 7 64bit for home (check you existing software and peripherals are compatible)
AntiVirus: Home - AVG Free & MalwareBytes Free. Business - depends on setup.
Other Software: Do you need Microsoft Office? Home and Student 2007 gives Word, Excel and Power Point licensed for 3 PC's at around £80. 2007 Pro is for business at about £320 - discounted licensing options are available for multiple copies.
Where to buy: ebuyer.com - dabs.com - pcwb.co.uk - if you prefer to buy in a shop go to PC World but don't let them sell you extras! Sorry, I don't want to sell you one as there's no margin in it anymore and I don't want to pass the VAT threshold!
Second Hand: In my opinion second hand is never worth it as new is now so cheap and certain PC components do wear out.
Independent Shops: Support them if you can but make sure you have a genuine Windows license sticker on the case with a product key on - without this you do not have a legal copy of Windows and I see this allot! Also be aware that with a home built PC you cannot just go to hp.com etc.. to download drivers/software in the future - this is also true of many of the more 'Mickey mouse' brands.
The only other considerations are some PC's will have firewire (aka iLink aka IEEE1394) which you may want to connect your video camera to your PC with. Do you need a wireless network connection? Laptops will have them, desktops generally won’t but if you can use the wired connection it's much better.
You may find a media card reader handy for digital camera memory cards and most PC's have them now. With laptops 15" screen is the norm and is a good compromise between ease of use and portability - 17" makes for a big machine but well suited if it's going to stay on your desk. If you'd like to make video calls then a laptop with a built in webcam is a neat solution. Don't forget to buy a decent case with your laptop if you'll be carrying it around.
When you've bought it don't forget to give me a call to set it up for you!
Labels: laptop specification, PC specification
posted by Tiny Island Computers at 7:20 PM
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