How to Buy a Computer
"I teach senior citizens in a community based free computer lab. They often ask what to look for when buying a computer, what software they need for email, basic Internet usage, word processing, etc. Many are on a limited budget. What would you suggest they need as a minimum?"
Recommendations For a New Computer
The good news is that computer prices have dropped a lot over the past few years, and the computing power you get for your money is going up! I don't recommend used computers for anyone, because the rate of change of computer technology will render most systems nearly obsolete within three years. If you're a computer novice, wondering what kind of computer, monitor, hard drive, memory, and operating system to get... here's some advice to get you rolling.
Windows or Mac?
You may have friends, relatives or neighbors trying to pull you into the "Windows vs. Mac" holy wars. In my opinion, the choice of operating system really doesn't matter. From a beginner's perspective, each has point & click interfaces that are pretty easy to use. Both will take you to the same Internet, and enable you to send and receive email. Both offer word processing, and the documents they create are interchangeable. Because Windows-based computers make up 90% of the market, they are cheaper. It's the law of supply and demand in operation. And in some areas, it may be hard to find technical or repair support for Apple Macintosh computers. So if you're budget-minded, and you don't have any friends willing to help you with Mac issues, I suggest you go with a Windows-based PC.
A good entry-level computer with monitor can be purchased for under $400, and sometimes you even get a printer in the deal. So what should a newbie look for in terms of speed, monitor, memory and hard drive specs? It doesn't have to be all that confusing...
What about Horsepower?
The CPU (central processing unit, or "processor" for short) is the brain of your computer. In general, the faster the better. Processor speeds are measured in gigahertz (GHz) and as of this writing, the fastest models available operate at about 4 GHz. Entry-level machines start at about 2.0 GHz and are more than adequate for web surfing, email and word processing. If you see a computer with a processor that has a speed specified in megahertz (MHz), steer clear -- these are older models.
Thanks for the Memory
The next decision you have to make is how much RAM memory you need. Don't confuse RAM with hard drive (file storage) space. RAM is the temporary working memory that your computer uses to perform calculations and manipulate files. When you open a document, it is copied from the hard drive into RAM. As you and your word processor work on the file, the modified copy exists only in RAM. When you save the file, it is copied from RAM back to the hard drive, or permanent storage. And as with CPU power, the more RAM you have, the better your computer will perform. I recommend you have a minimum 1 gigabyte (GB) of RAM, but with 2 gigabytes (2048 MB) you'll notice better performance.
Hard (Drive) Decisions
The hard drive is your permanent file storage. All of your personal files, such as word processor documents, photos, music, and emails are stored here, in addition to software packages and the operating system. Most new PC's come with a hard drive that's several hundred gigabytes (GB). I recommend you start with a hard drive of 320 GB or more, but consider moving up to 500 GB if you plan to keep lots of photos, music or videos on your computer. Hard drives that can store a terabyte (1000 GB) are now available for around $100, so there's really no need to skimp on disk storage space.
Go For a Large Monitor
Here's the formula: Larger Monitor = Less Eyestrain and Less Scrolling. I recommend a 17-inch monitor, or even a 19-inch if you don't mind spending a bit more. Don't worry about brand names here, they're all pretty much the same. Stay away from 14 or 15-inch monitors, they're just too small to be practical. (My personal desktop setup includes two 22-inch monitors!)
What About Software?
Most of the software you need will come pre-installed on your new PC. Windows comes with Internet Explorer (for web browsing) and Outlook Express (for email). Many PC systems include a word processor, such as Microsoft Word or OpenOffice. If your computer doesn't come with any of these, I suggest you purchase Microsoft Works, which will give you a word processor similar to MS Word, a spreadsheet similar to MS Excel, and other useful programs. If you don't mind downloading your own software, you can also find free office software that works just as well.
Look for a computer that comes with anti-virus software pre-installed. If yours doesn't come with any anti-virus package, check with your Internet service provider to see if they offer anything for free. Another option - you can download an excellent free anti-virus package to replace the one that comes with your system when the free trial period expires.
Summary
So in a nutshell, here are my recommendations:
Where to Buy?
Look at your local computer store first, they may have some good deals and offer local support. Office supply and electronics stores such as Staples, Office Depot, and Best Buy are good options to explore too. If you're comfortable buying online, check out Dell, Gateway and other vendors to compare features and pricing.
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Posted by Bob Rankin on January 20, 2009 11:17 AM
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- How to Buy a Computer (Posted: January 20, 2009 11:17 AM)
Source: http://askbobrankin.com/how_to_buy_a_computer.html
Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved
Most recent comments on "How to Buy a Computer"
(See all 16 comments for this article.)Posted by:
laverne
12 Oct 2007
how do you measure for a screen, the whole monitor
or the in side.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The monitor is measured along the diagonal of the viewable area of the screen.
Posted by:
Trendy
08 May 2008
Bob what about Graphics card
EDITOR'S NOTE: I've bought many computers over the years, and I've NEVER been concerned about the graphics card. They all seem to work just fine for my purposes. Maybe serious gamers will want to spend more on a high-end video card, but not me.
Posted by:
Lynn Armstrong
10 May 2008
I do not like dark colors and refuse to buy a black computer. What do you suggest?
EDITOR'S NOTE: It does seem that most computers come in black. But you can find white or grey computers if you look around. I just visited TigerDirect and found a Lenovo 3000 K100 and the HP DC7700 which are not black.
Posted by:
Peach
04 Sep 2008
I want to buy a home computer but I only want: (1)email, (2)word processing, (3)internet surfing and lots of shopping. I DON'T want to take up computer room or pay for: (1)watching movies, (2)playing games, (3)downloading music, (4)doing anything with photos. Any suggestions? Thanks so much.
EDITOR'S NOTE: If you buy anything from a large PC vendor, it will come with lots of pre-loaded software that you probably don't need. But you can always delete the software packages that you don't want. And hard drives are generally so large that you can just ignore the stuff you don't care about. So any low-end home PC from Dell, Gateway, etc will probably be just fine for you.
Posted by:
kendra
02 Nov 2008
I am having to finance a computer and have bad credit. I have to go to one of those sites online that say they will finance anyone. So my choices are limited. When I try an check out the info and specs on the computer... to see if the match your reccomendations but the way they list them confuses me. My choices are Dell Inspiron 518, 530, 531 and also Dell Vostro 400, and HP Pavilion A6000. Would you reccomend any of those? I hope you can take the time to help out it is most appreciated and I thank you in advance if you can.
EDITOR'S NOTE: I've looked into some of these computer financing companies, and they usually charge a HUGE interest rate and you end up paying much more than the price of the system. Since at least one of those Dell systems is under $300, I'd recommend that you try to save the money first and then pay cash.
Posted by:
trendy
22 Jan 2009
I am wondering why you recommend purchasing Microsoft works when there are a range of free suites that provide these features, e.g. Open Office.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, I have written about free office suites (see http://askbobrankin.com/free_office_software.html) and should have mentioned them in this article. I will update that section, thanks.
Posted by:
Jim Ayre
25 Feb 2009
Bob, you say "I suggest you purchase Microsoft Works, which will give you MS Word." I believe Word was bundled with Works Suite 2006, which is no longer available. Works 9 can "Share & edit Works Word Processor and Spreadsheet files with Microsoft® Office Word and Microsoft® Office Excel and vice versa."
http://www.microsoft.com/products/works/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=003&active_tab=Features
BTW, I enjoy your newsletter, and appreciate you sharing your expertise.
EDITOR'S NOTE: I guess I should say "something similar to MS Word." Thanks for the update.
Posted by:
MmeMoxie
26 Feb 2009
Listen, we are talking about many senior citizens who are on a limited budget, but, want to keep in touch with family and friends. They won't be BIG gamers at LAN parties or heavy graphics users.
Off lease computers is the way to go. They have all the power, memory, hard drive size that most senior citizens will ever use. You can even find some with Windows XP Pro installed.
I personally recommend www.computer-show.com. This place has off lease Dell workstation computers with a variety of configurations and they sell them very inexpensively. Some computers are even 'bundled' with desktop/tower, monitor, keyboard and mouse and operating system. I have helped purchase about 8 computers for family and friends from Computer-Show.com.
They check out every computer and ship the computer in excellent packaging. They cover the tower/desktop with plastic and 'blow' in foam. All the ones that I have purchased have arrived in excellent condition and worked right out of the box. Yes, the ones that I helped purchase, had to have an operating system put on and I did it. Simple, just time consuming.
EDITOR'S NOTE: You can save $100 or so buying a used computer, but you just never know how its been used or abused before you got it -- or why it was returned. And if you're going to (legally) install Windows on these boxes, that will cost around $100. So where are we left?
Posted by:
Helen
26 Feb 2009
I love the direct straight forward info on your site. Please note that Gateway is in big trouble now and not providing any tech support at all. I have had 5 Gateway computers over the years and have always been fairly satisfied - until now. They sold their tech support division to a company that is now bankrupt! This - after Gateway sales sold me a 2 year extended warranty.
EDITOR'S NOTE: It's true that MPC, the company that was providing Gateway warranty support, filed for bankruptcy in Nov 2008. And that has apparently left some customers with a worthless warranty. But I called Gateway today and asked about a warranty on a new computer. They told me that warranty support on anything purchased now will be provided directly by Gateway.
Posted by:
JMA
26 Oct 2009
This is a good starting place for "what to know when deciding to purchase a computer". Thank you for the insight and recs!