How to Shop for a Computer

Chances are, with the new Windows Vista being released to the general public, combined with your growing IT needs, be they personal or professional, you are going to need a new computer, or at least new parts. That is fine if you are technically-inclined, and already know your way around a computer. But what if you don't even know the difference between a Gigabyte and a Gigahertz, SATA and PATA, RAM and ROM, and "rpm" sounds to you like an alternative rock band?

Even if you are not a technician or computer professional, you should at least acquaint yourself with the basics, to help identify what you really need, and get your money's worth. This will help not only in keeping from feeling intimidated when the salesperson spews out a lot of jargon at you, but hopefully save you money as well. An expensive feature on your computer is obviously one you will never use, but paid big money for.

This is a very general guide to the computer; my fellow colleagues may find themselves biting their knuckles, screaming butchery of the fine details, but I believe it is a good thing to start learning the bigger concepts before splitting hairs and the distinctions become blurry. Sometimes it is just better to tell you what you need to know, without your having to learn absolutely everything-and feel you forgot even more!

With that aside, let us begin. The two broad categories of computer essentials are Hardware and Software.

Hardware:

Open up a computer case, and it looks like multicolored, plastic spaghetti tossed around between metal boxes.

(1) Box Number One is the Hard Drive. This is where storage is measures in gigabytes, or ten of millions of characters. Think of this as a giant filing cabinet for all your documents and media. A golden rule of hardware is followed here: More is Better! A long time ago a 2 megabyte drive was considered plenty, but now that's hardly enough to store a single song. Even if you're not going to store many multimedia files, you will inevitably accumulate more documents such as email, correspondence, spreadsheets, addresses, and the like.

(2) CPU - Central Processing Unit. This is the brain of your computer. Its speed is measured in Gigahertz (gHz), or tens of millions of instructions per second. So the higher the Gigahertz, the more it can do without considerably slowing down. You will want as high a number on this as you can afford. For CPU's, the variation of the golden rule is Faster is Better! This is an ex pensive component of the computer, and is not very frequently replaced.

(3) RAM - Random Access Memory. This is usually what techies are talking about when they say "memory". If the hard drive is the filing cabinet, you can think of the RAM as the Day Planner. It keeps track of what the computer is currently doing, what it has done recently, and what it is going to do next. Again, stick to the golden rule: More is Better! And since this is relatively cheap, get as much as you can. Not having enough is one of the most basic causes of a slow computer, and adding more is a favorite solution to boost your speed.

(4) CD/DVD drive- Not just for music anymore. This has replaced the 1.44 megabyte floppy drive as a common storage unit. A compact disk can hold 650 megabytes, and a DVD can hold 4.7 megabytes (some varieties can even hold twice that). If you can get a multi-drive-that is, one that can read as well as "burn" (write to) blank CD's and DVD's, all the better.

(5) Motherboard - some geeks also call it a system board, an MB or even a MoBo, as the jargon might go. The important aspects here are expandability and how new it is. These boards have slots where you can insert either devices like cameras and printers, or more memory. Very likely, if you've ever inserted a card or USB cable to transfer pictures to a computer, you have directly come in contact with a built-in slot on the motherboard.

By now you can see this one coming: More is Better! This comes with a caveat, because there is such a thing as too much expandability. If you're not planning to connect a lot of devices like scanners, faxes, printers and such, you can get away with even two or three expansion slots. But when it comes to memory on the other hand, make sure to have plenty of room to expand.

The newer a motherboard, the more room for expansion, and the more memory you can put on it. Not only that, if you intend to own the computer for a few years and later decide to add more devices, you may end up a slot or two short, and have to buy a whole new board.

(6) Router or other Network device- Okay, this one is technically not part of the computer but a device by itself. However, in this age of connectivity where computers share data with each other in more ways than one, it is almost always assumed that you will eventually connect either to the internet or another computer in your office. My own personal preference is having a wireless router on a desktop, and letting laptops with wireless network cards connect to it as I allow. Wired routers (which cost about the same), in my opinion, are good for desktops, or laptops that will not have to be carried from room to room. Ask your vendor which one is right for your situation.

(7) Essential basic devices: This includes the monitor, mouse and keyboard. My battle cry for these items is Cheaper is Better! You will find that despite the whistles, bells, extra buttons, sleek design and fancy blinking lights, a keyboard is simply a keyboard you type on, no matter what. The same goes for the mouse and monitor: they all do the same thing. Some stores can sell a top-of-the-line keyboard for over $100, and other places can offer a generic brand for about $7, but both keyboards do the same thing. Anything else extra is for personal taste and your own comfort factor.

Two preferences of mine (that seem to make sense to seemingly everyone else) involve the monitor and the mouse. The former, because flat LCD screens have become more affordable, and the latter, because optical mice have less maintenance involved. These two cost a little more than the cheapest models. But the larger CRT monitors use up a lot of space on your desk, and gather lots of dust in the space between the monitor and the wall. An LCD screen is lighter, cleaner, and easier to move around. And those cheap mice with the little trackball rolling around inside tend to gather lots of dirt which keeps the mouse from moving where you want it to go. Optical mice do not have this problem, and only cost a few dollars more.

Software:

(1) Operating system (OS)- This is the set of programs that let you manage your files, your user accounts, your computer and pretty much everything it's connected to. When you click on an icon to, say, open a document, you are interacting with the operating system, which recognizes your commands and carries out the necessary steps to influence the hardware to do your bidding (most of the time, at least). Most people will recognize Microsoft Windows as the most common operating system, only because it comes pre-installed in most computers being sold on the retail market.

There are other operating systems out there, such as Macintosh OS which is very dependable and user-friendly, and Linux, which happens to be available as a free download in several versions.

I would say the deciding factor for choosing an OS is mostly what you are already accustomed to, or how much time you are willing to devote to learning a new one. It used to be based on what programs you need to run and what OS it was compatible with. Nowadays file formats are standard enough that there are programs in practically every major OS to make compatibility a non-issue.

My own strategy for choosing an OS is simply to avoid the very latest Windows release, and wait for other developers to sort out the bugs, while you stay with the most recent popular version. At the time of writing this, Windows Vista installers are facing lots of compatibility issues (read: problems) with their hardware. Every new release of Windows goes through this phase, which is why I plan to stay with my Windows XP Professional machine for as long as I can avoid upgrading. I would have stayed with Windows 2000 had it not for most of my software customers starting to run the more popular XP.

(2) Application Software - this is anything else you install so the computer does what you need it to do. Microsoft Office manages spreadsheets, documents and databases, Mozilla Firefox connects to the internet, McAfee Suite protects your system from malware, Notepad edits simple text files, and so forth. Many are available for purchase at your computer dealer, and many more yet are available for download. This all depends on what you need your computer to do. Usually you already have a very good idea of which programs you like to use, and what your computer will be used for. While Microsoft Office, like many programs, comes pre-installed with most Windows computers, there are always alternatives to be found online, sometimes for free.

When shopping for a computer, my favorite way is to go to a smaller, friendlier shop in your neighborhood. Most people may feel this is more intimidating than a familiar large outlet, but I think it's the opposite. Here's why: at a smaller store, when it's not particularly busy, you can question the staff at length about your particular needs, and have them spend more time with you to address your concerns more closely. At a large retailer, especially during peak shopping times, it can be nearly impossible to flag down an overloaded employee to even grab a box from the top shelf for you! Moreover, the smaller shops tend to be staffed with competent and knowledgeable technicians working the floor; big-chain stores tend to staff the department with salesmen instead, who will not always know how to answer your questions, or even get you the right system. Plus having techies in a nearby shop means quicker waiting times when you need a repair job or hardware upgrade. And finally when you develop a relationship with your favorite small shop, you can get very good deals from time to time on parts and service.

These are most, if not all the basics of what you need to know when shopping for a computer. For now. Many of these points might even change over time (if you don't believe me, read this in five years!) . Hopefully this will help enrich the experience and maybe even make it fun. Tell me how it turns out.