Buying a Computer and what you should know Purchase a computer We recommend you buy a computer system with these specifications to get the fastest, most reliable, and upgradeable system for you money. Our recommendations incorporate the latest technology available and reflect what we would buy today. You should look for these key features when buying or upgrading a computer: Processor. Power users should consider Intel PIII E Coppermine (which fits into a PGA370 motherboard socket) at speeds of 800 MHz -1000 GHz, Pentium 4 CPUs at speeds of 1.3 - 2 GHz or an AMD Athlon Thunderbird (which fits into a socket A motherboard) at speeds of 750 MHz -1.333 GHz. If you must save money, the Intel Celeron FC-PGA Celeron at speeds of 800 - 1.1 GHz, and the AMD Duron at speeds of 800-1.1 GHz are good second choices.. Motherboards. Buy a motherboard that supports the speed and functions that you want to have. Those buying Celerons should make sure their system is upgradeable to the Pentium III. Duron buyers should make sure they can upgrade to an Athlon. System RAM. We recommend 32MB of system RAM absolute minimum for Windows 95. For Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, 64MB is the minimum amount of suggested RAM, with 128MB or more as the preferred amount (as memory is currently cheap, there is no reason not to have at least 128 MB). Hard Drive. A 10 GB hard drive is about the smallest drive you would want. Video Card. An AGP video card with 32 MB or more of video memory is recommended for those wanting to play 3D games or use graphics software (a GeForce 256, GeForce2 GTS, or ATI Radeon graphics card is preferred). Those not wanting to use 3D applications should pick a good name-brand graphics card with 16 MB of memory. Note that computers costing less than $1,000 usually have a soldered on video chip rather than a graphics card. While cheap, these chips are not as fast or powerful as graphics cards. Modem. A 56K modem, that meets V.90 or the coming V .92 standard. Computer Case. ATX mid-tower or tower case (at least a couple of free drive bays) Power Supply (usually bundled with case). A 250 watt power supply or better (AMD recommends 300 watts for Athlon systems). Don’ts 1. Do not buy computers from a discount store, computer swap meets, or on-line auctions. You wouldn’t buy a stereo or TV from these places would you? You have to be very informed to shop these places without being burned. Yes it’s cheaper but what if it breaks? What happens when you need to upgrade it? 2. Don’t buy mail order without a moneyback guarantee. I would only consider it if you can return items within 30 days without a restocking fee. There’s nothing like having the option of throwing a misbehaving computer into the trunk and hauling it back to the post office. 3. Don’t buy a computer by name brand alone. Some of the biggest consumer computer brands will cut corners when manufacturing computers (filling all available expansion slots, incorporating sound cards and video cards on the computers motherboard, and using cases with no extra expansion bays). It’s also possible that you could buy a non-current model unless you do your homework. Do(s) 1. Get an on-site service warranty. An on-site warranty means they come to your home and fix your system. A 100% parts and labor warranty is not on-site service. It just means that if something breaks, you will either be mailed a part and told how to repair the computer yourself, or at worst, have to mail off your system (sorry there is no such thing as a loaner). 2. Know what you are buying. Computer ads and brochures must be read very carefully to determine what is being sold. For instance “Pentium 200 system on sale for $550" means very little to an informed shopper. There are at least 4 different flavors of Intel CPUs that the ad could be describing. You need to always find out what company built the system, is it new or used, what peripherals are included, and what software comes with the computer (some systems are sold without software or operating systems). Comparison shop. There are hundreds of computer manufactures out there, big and small. Upgrade Requirements When you buy a desktop, one of your main goals is that you want it to be upgradeable. That means the following can easily be removed and replaced: hard drive memory CPU video card sound card If any of the above cannot be upgraded, you are buying into a closed system – like a laptop. All laptops are closed systems because their video and sound cards cannot be upgraded. You should avoid all desktop systems that have the video controller or sound card integrated - soldered onto, the motherboard (like Intel Whitney and 810E chipsets). Manufactures do this to save them money. It does not save you money because you can’t remove it and sell it to someone else, you have to play with jumpers on the motherboard to disconnect it, and you need a free expansion slot in your system for a new card. Free Expansion Slots A free expansion slot is a long electrical connector on the motherboard that is empty. Expansion slots are needed to plug in additional devices like modems, disk controllers, MPEG cards, etc. There are three flavors of expansion slots: ISA, PCI, and AGP. ISA slots. The original 8 bit slots from the IBM PC. They are mostly used now for modems and older sound cards. Soon they will be extinct, but right now, you need a couple. PCI slots. The newer 16 bit slot (twice the transfer rate of the ISA slot), should be used for your main video card (unless you have an AGP slot) and any additional hard drive or SCSI controllers. Basically, any device that needs to be fast should be in a PCI slot. AGP slot - Advanced Graphics Port. These are found on newer Super7, Celeron, Pentium II and Pentium III class systems. If your system has an AGP slot you should have an AGP card. AGP cards can either be double speed (2X) or quad speed (4X). Make sure any computer system you buy has at least one or more free PCI expansion slot for future upgrades. Free ISA slots would only benefit those with older add in devices. Free Drive Bays Free drive bays are necessary to add additional hard drives, Removable Drives, CD-ROMs, or DVD players. An option for slower devices is to use the external USB port. Know What You are Buying The slimline, integrated, compact, and spacesaver type desktop systems should be reviewed very carefully for soldered on components, free slots, and free drive bays. When in doubt, stay away from compact or spacesaver systems. purchase a computer