Tips on Buying a Desktop Computer

We recently launched a section on this website where you, the viewers can ask us questions about hardware related issues. There’s been a lot of interest on what’s the best desktop out there based on a persons needs. In this post I’m going to go through the 5 main components that you need to worry about when choosing your dream machine and also the different things you’ll be looking for depending on your computer needs.

The 5 main components that you need to look at are:

1. Processor
2. RAM
3. Hard Drive
4. Graphics Card
5. Monitor

The 3 main consumer groups I’ll use are:

1. Casual Use: Internet, mail and word processing (0 - 30 minutes a day). Price range: less than $800
2. Moderate Use: Casual Use + photo / video editing, light gaming (30min - 3 hours a day). Price range: between $800 and $1500
3. Heavy Use: Moderate Use + heavy gaming, lots of editing (3+ hours a day). Price range: greater than $1500

Before we get started, I’m going to say that all of the prices listed are current as of the day of this post and are listed in U.S dollars. You could probably find cheaper prices if you search but I’m just going off the prices that I can find. Also, the prices listed above are just an estimate of what the average user in each group would need. Some people in the Casual Use group want a machine that will beat out most of the competition so they’ll spend more. Let’s get started.

Processor

Processors are the heartbeat of your computer. If you pick one that’s too slow you’re applications will get bogged down. If you pick on that’s too fast you’ll just be wasting money. Picking one that’s right for you can be difficult.

• Casual Use: Since you’re not going to be doing any processor intensive things, spending the extra money on a fast processor (or anything above a dual core) is unnecessary. The AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ (2.2GHz) or the Intel Core2Duo E6550 (2.3GHz) processor should be perfect for you.
• Moderate Use: You’re going to want a faster processor to run all of your applications. Video editing and gaming need faster processors that your basic everyday use. The AMD Phenom 9600 (2.3GHz quad-core) or the Intel Core2Duo Q6600 (2.4GHz quad-core) will suite your needs perfectly.
• Heavy Use: You’re going to be gaming, using CPU intensive applications and you’re going demand the best. A high end quad-core processor is a necessity. The Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 (3.0GHz) will blow all of the other processors out of the water. This quad-core processor will run anything you throw at it for years to come.

RAM

RAM is the main component when it comes to speed. In general the more RAM you have, the faster your computer will run. This is because Application instructions are put into RAM and they can be executed faster from RAM. If you want to run Vista, you’re pretty much going to need 2GB of RAM.

• Casual Use: If you’re not runing Vista, 512MB - 1GB will be sufficient for your every day use. If you’re going to run Vista, I would recommend 2GB. Any more and you won’t really notice a performance difference.
• Moderate Use: 2GB to 3GB will everything you ever need as a Moderate user. 3GB will run all of your applications.
• Heavy Use: If you’re running a 64bit OS, max out with 8GB of RAM. If you’re only running a 32bit OS than the most you can put in is 4GB. Whatever OS you have, make sure you max out the amount of RAM you can have because you’ll need it.

Hard Drive

Storage space is totally up to your own preferences. Some casual users will want to store a large amount of data and some heavy users may only want a small storage device. If you’re gaming a lot, a 10k RPM drive will run your applications a lot faster. Other than speed, theres no reason not to get a 7200 RPM drive. The size of such a drive will vary depending on how much data you’re going to save.

Graphics Card

The graphics card is very important if you’re going to be doing any gaming at all. If you’re not going to game, most motherboards have an integrated graphics card that will be sufficient. I personally think Nvidia makes a much better graphics card than ATI does so I won’t be talking about ATI’s latest cards.

• Casual Use: An Intel integrated graphics card that’s included with your motherboard should be sufficient for all of your needs. If you do want a dedicated graphics card the Nvidia 8600 is a fairly cheap card that will do well.
• Moderate Use: Since you’re going to be doing a little more gaming, you’re going to want a fairly decent graphics card to keep up with the current games. The Nvidia 8800GT is a very good card, but it is a little more expensive. The 8800GTS is a little cheaper, but not quite as good.
• Heavy Use: Gaming is your life. You’re going to want the best graphics cards possible (and more than one). The Nvidia 8800GTX in SLI mode will be your best bet. There are some motherboards now that can even do 3-way SLI, which will run even the most graphically intensive games.

Monitor

Like storage space, the monitor is very much a personal choice. Some people like one smaller screen, some like one large screen and some like dual medium screens. If you’re going to be gaming or doing any editing you’re going to want a computer screen with a quick refresh rate ( less than 5ms) and a good contrast ratio. If you’re only looking at emails and surfing the web, it really doesn’t matter which monitor you pick.

Conclusion

There are a number of different desktop computers out there and picking the right one for yourself can be difficult. The following links are from Best Buy and showcase computers that are in the price range of the different categories:
Casual Use
Moderate Use 1 and 2
Heavy Use 1

Hopefully you’ll find a computer thats right for you. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask in the comment section below.