Purchasing Computer equipment (© FMS Computer Training)

Purchasing Computer Equipment
Revised 4-6-2005

So you want to buy a new computer. The old one is too slow or you want a second one. What to buy? Should I buy all new or upgrade? These are questions to resolve. The ads can be pretty confusing. Lets do a little analysis. See my hate HP page before choosing a brand.

First, you can buy a pretty decent computer with a monitor for under $500 today. Some even offer a flat screen LCD. For $600 to $900, you can get a lot of computer and include a printer and scanner and maybe a camera. So it does not make sense to spend more than $200 on an old one. Even $100 can be wasteful and better applied toward a new purchase.

Next comes the question of how much computer do I need? I'll list the important features that should be considered.

Processor

This is the guts of the computer and does the actual work of computing. The correct term is CPU for Central Processing Unit, but most people refer to the CPU as the case that hold the motherboard and all the parts. Manufacturers & types vary. For most work, there is not much difference. If you are into high end graphics you will be concerned, but then again the serious computer users are not asking my advice. They know what they want. For the rest of us, there are only 2 levels of users.

Level 1 are folks who are doing e-mail, a few letters, keeping financial records, surfing the web, maybe some genealogy and minor jobs like this. For these text based jobs, the cheapest computer you can buy new will do. In many cases a used one (no more than 3 years old) will suffice. If someone gives you one, fine, but don't spend money on a used computer.

Level 2 are folks into pictures and graphics on an amateur level. Family photos scanned from pictures or taken with a digital camera or downloaded off the web. Pictures and graphics are slow on the lowest level computer. A mid level computer will be more enjoyable. Although even the slowest processors in today's computers (2005) are fast enough for any graphic work a beginner will do.

Processor manufacturers are Intel, AMD and VIA. Intel makes the Pentium and Celeron. Amd makes a Duron and Athalon. Both keep adding new models. Via bought the Cyrix name and apparently has not made them since the 433Mhz. Via now makes a Via C3, but I haven't seen it in any machines. (2005 update- I just saw a VIA machine) All seem to be designing new names frequently. For the level 1 and 2 users described above, it really does not matter which brand you buy. Intel has been the top brand to most people for some time, but AMD has jockeyed with them for the top position for a few years. The only people it matters to are the ones who play video games.

Processor speeds vary from about 1700 Mhz to 3000 MHz (3 Ghz) with prices that go up accordingly. Again for the level 1 and 2 buyer, you probably will never notice the difference, so the slowest one will function just fine. I was running older computers with 233 to 350 MHz until the last quarter of 2001. I just added lots of RAM and bigger hard drives and would have been better off with a new machine for what I spent. I finally bit the bullet and replaced all my machines with better ones. I now have a 2 Ghz home built, a 1.1 Ghz home built and a 1.6 Ghz home built. I scavenged all the parts I could from the old machines and now have tons of memory and hard drive, so the upgrades were not a total loss. 2005 update. One computer store here in Pahrump sells an entrey level machine for $399. It has a 1.6 Ghz processor & is faster than the average user needs. These users just do a little typing & internet surfing & any machine can do that. The only reason for needing a new machine is to run the newest software. The $399 machine comes with Windows XP SP2, the latest version which has all the built in security.

RAM

This stands for Random Access Memory, but what it really represents is workspace. The bigger it is, the more work you can do. Most entry level computers come with 128 to 256 MB of RAM, but I would recommend 256 to 512. You might not need it now, but as your computer needs change, you will find it helpful and right now, it is cheap. If you get a new machine now, it should have XP SP 2 and it needs 256 to run decently and 512 to run well. I run a minimum of 512 on all my machines. I had more and saw no improvement, so I backed down to 512. Even the cheap machine above has 256 in it.

Hard Drive

The hard drive is where your programs and files are stored. We have always said, "This is so big, I'll never fill it up" as sizes grew from very small to the huge ones we have today. There is a saying that we fill the available space. Sizes today vary from around 80 GB to 400 GB. for most users in levels 1 and 2, 80 is adequate, so shop price. If you want to store photos, go up to 120 minimum. Look for the least expensive model. Prices are affected by volume sold, not necessarily by size.

CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD & DVD±RW

CD = Compact Disk (player only)
CD-R = Compact Disk recordable (one time permanent)
CD-RW = Compact Disk recordable and re-recordable
DVD = Digital Versatile Disk or Digital Video Disk (player only)
DVD±RW recorders are available and prices are dropping fast. As of Feb 2005, there are still multiple formats. Be sure to study this factor carefully. You may spend a couple of hundred and not get a DVD writer that can make DVD's that will play on your TV system.
Combo drives can be confusing. Be sure to read the fine print. You may think you have a drive that does 2 or more features until you check carefully. Look for terms like writer/reader & format type.

Barrettism:
Always buy from a store that allows returns if you don't like what you get. Many stores will not accept open boxes or may charge a restocking fee. Don't ASSUME anything. Costco is the best for unquestioned returns. Best Buy has a different policy for returning computer equipment than for other products.

Price follows as features increase, but the variance is small. I recommend at least a CD-RW since there are multiple uses for it and adding it later costs more than including it in the original purchase. Getting a machine with a CD-RW and a regular CD or DVD player makes copying a CD easier than if you only have a single drive. If you plan to make movies or store more than 650 MB, get a DVD writer. Note: Some software is now coming on DVD.

Other Drives

Other drives may be available; most common is the Iomega Zip drive. Iomega just added a new Zip drive to the market that holds 750 MB which competes with a CD-R nicely. These perform like a second hard drive for copying and backing up files. Iomega (maker of Zip drives) has some new products, so look at the stores or ads.
Another drive which has not gained wide popularity is the Super Disk. It works like a floppy and will read regular floppies, but will also accept a Super Floppy that holds 120 MB or the equal of about 83 floppies. I have one computer with it and just got a Panasonic digital camera that uses the Super Disks. I can put about 1500 photos in low resolution on one disk. At the highest resolution, I can still get almost 500 shots and I carry a dozen disks in the case. I haven't even filled the first disk yet. I checked recently & they have stopped manufacturing them due to poor sales. Maybe they will become museum pieces soon.

A recent addition to drive storage is the USB Flashdrive. Click here to see a description. We are also seeing a lot of external USB and Firewire hard drives and external CD writers and DVD writers that make a new world of backup. Bluetooth wireless is another coming format. I bought 4 flash drives 128 MB each at Walmart for $15 on sale. In 2004, my 256 was a bargain at $50. You can get them up to 2 GB now.

Miscellaneous parts

All systems today come with the following parts:

Video card: There are very cheap ones designed into the motherboard and you can spend up to $400 or more for special cards with tons of independent memory, but again not important to the casual user. (I just saw one at almost $1000!)

Sound card & speakers: All sound cards sound good to all but the very picky. Most are integrated on the motherboard and work well for most applications. The speakers do make a difference so buy a good set. A cheap set is $5, a good set can run from $40 to $400, so the less expensive ones do not add much to the cost of a system. Have a music CD played on the system you are considering and listen to the quality. You can add a higher quality set later. Just buy them and plug it in. If surround sound interests you, there are 4 and 5 speaker systems available. These surround sound systems do require a different sound card, so have a shop install it. Disabling the on-board sound card can be tricky. Be sure you have the original manual for instructions.

Keyboard and mouse: Any kind will do. Lots of gimmicks out there. The nicest ones now are cordless and optical, and may have ergonomic shapes and connect with USB, but any kind works. Many of my clients and students have keyboards with Internet keys on them and very few even use them.

Optional parts:

Telephone Modem: All are 56K, the largest size available. Brands vary but not really important to the casual user. Many systems now have a NIC card and leave off the modem for broadband use.

Cable/DSL Modem: With the increase of Internet connections with broadband, this is a necessary item. You can buy it or rent it from the ISP or have it included when you buy a system. I have seen a few systems with them built in. We may see some integrated into the motherboard soon.

Network card (NIC): Used for cable modem and DSL high speed Internet access and connecting 2 or more computers together. Included on almost all new computers today. Don't leave the store without it. If you don't want it today, you will soon.

We have a desktop computer with a wired NIC card & a laptop with both wired & wireless NIC. I just had broadband brought into the house here in Pahrump. We brought the cable from the outside antenna into the office. We have a laptop in the kitchen that we wanted to have internet access. So I added a Linksys wireless router to the office. The Internet plugs into the router. The router is hardwired to the desktop in the office. The laptop connects to the router via wireless. We can walk around the house with the laptop downloading from the web, listening to radio or watching a video. (4-6-05 My grandsons & family just visited from out of town; brought their laptops & went on line all over my house.)

Monitor: Opt for a 17" if possible. Only adds a few bucks to the purchase and worth the cost. If you want the best, get a LCD screen, but expect to pay from $250 up. A 15" LCD has the same viewing area as a 17" tube type. I have used the Viewsonic & Sylvania LCD and they are very impressive. Especially because there is no glare. The sharpness is a little less, but not important to most users. We watch TV and DVD movies on it and find it very easy on the eyes. They are not subject to flicker or electrical noise from outside sources. Now even 19" LCD's are getting affordable)

Printer: My personal preference is any HP model. I have owned many brands and compared all the brands owned by my clients and the HP has them all beat. The cartridges last longer, don't dry up and their printers are workhorses. The color quality is better also. ( I Don't care what Canon says. I ran the same photo on multiple printer brands and the HP beat them all) Just don't expect service - it stinks!

You can get a parallel or USB connection and some HP's come with both so you can choose at setup. USB works better and faster if you have it available. All new computers for the last 5 years have had USB. Some new technology now involves Firewire and Bluetooth for even faster and/or wireless connections. Look for these innovations as time passes. You can also get printers that have network connections and can be used on any computer in your network. You can even connect them wireless now.

All-In-One: I USED to say: "This group of machines combine a fax, printer, scanner and copier all in one machine. I do not like any I've tested. I much prefer to have each function as a separate device. They do serve a purpose where space is limited, but are hard to set up and keep working. They also grab too much control of the computer which I find objectionable." I changed my mind as shown next:

I normally do not like or recommend the All-In-One machines as they tend to grab too much control of the computer. However, HP has had a model for a year or two that is impressive. Here is a picture of the $150 HP750. They also have some other models with similar features. They scan faster than any scanner I've seen. Actually this model has been superceded by a new model 2110 at around $200

Scanner: I have used all the brands and models and see little difference in any of them with the exception of the speed. The only choice I would recommend is to get a flat bed style. You can do more with them than one that you have to insert a single page into like a fax machine. They all come with a number of software programs and I find most folks have not installed them. Look on your scanner CD for graphics programs. I just got a new one to go with my new XP systems. It is a Canon Canoscan 1220U. It is a tiny flat bed, gets all power from USB and installed easily and works great. Newer models are 1240U and up.

Cameras: There are 2 basic types of digital cameras today. A small one that sits on your monitor for video chat and the portable camera that you take photos with and transfer the photos into your computer. For the monitor type, any kind will do. For the portable ones, I have a lot of comments. The advantage of all digital cameras is the ability to view the shots immediately and delete undesirable ones and reshoot them if possible. See the comments above on my Panasonic under Other Drives.

One type of camera made by Sony called the Mavica series records the pictures directly on a floppy disk. The other style made by Sony, Canon and others use a memory card to store pictures. There are pluses and minuses to both types. Sony also makes one that stores on small 2" CD's directly in the camera. Storing pictures on a camera that records on CD is mostly for professionals. Price is about $900 to $1200. Most of the digital camcorders now do still shots but not as good as a still camera. The newest ones even store om mini DVD's. When will it stop?

Storing on a floppy means never running out of storage. Floppies are available everywhere and are cheap. You can view the pictures on any computer, make copies easily and give them to someone else on the spot. The disadvantages are that the camera is larger and the time between shots is longer. Prices for cameras start at $400. There are floppy adapters for the memory cards on other cameras for portable use. And all the memory cards have USB readers that work much better than connecting the camera to the computer. (2005 update: some computers do not have floppies anymore, so the floppy is not as universal as it once was.

Storing on a memory card means buying expensive extra cards. The cameras are cheaper, but may match the floppy type in accessory cost. Prices start at $50 for an el cheapo, but a decent one will run upwards of $200. Memory cards can run from $20 to $100 or more depending on the amount of storage.

If you have any questions, feel free to E-Mail me using the link below.