Shopping Tips
What are the Primary Decision Criteria for Selecting a Computer
The primary decision criteria for selecting a computer is features and spec, which in turn determine the price tag:
Random Access Memory (RAM)
It's 2006, and software operation system makers like Microsoft and Apple Computer suggest 512 megabytes (MB) of memory, or RAM, for their version of Operation System. But I strongly suggest doubling whatever the recommended RAM amount is for smoother computer operation with less disk swapping. Lack of memory tends to cause noticeble computer slowdown and disk spinning for seconds, interrupting your thoughts and getting pretty annoying. If you want to run forthcoming Vista with its features, get 2 gigabytes of memory. Don't skimp on RAM. Adding memory is the cheapest and easiest way of making your computer run as fast as when it is not loaded with too many applications.
Video
There are separate video cards (display adapter) versus integrated graphic systems. A PC with an integrated graphic system doesn't use a separate video card, but has the video display circuitry built directly on the motherboard. Intel's chip sets labeled 945 or higher are examples of integrated graphic systems. Separate graphic cards have video memory dedicated to video and not shared with the CPU, thus faster in processing videos but also more expensive.
Processor (CPU)
A higher megahertz (speed) processor of the same model does the calculations faster. Consider dual core processors like Intel's Pentium D (released Spring 2005), or Core Duo (2006) and Core 2 Duo (2006) all pack the equivalent of two chips into one, while Core 2 Duo performs about 40% faster than Core Duo. Athlon 64 X2 (shipped 2005) is also a dual-core desktop CPU consists of two Athlong 64 cores joined together on one die manufactured by AMD.
| CPU | Year Released | Bit | Core |
| Intel Celeron | 1998 | 32-bit | Single Core |
| AMD Athlon | 1999 | 32-bit | Single Core |
| Intel Pentium 4 | 2000 | 32/64-bit | Single Core |
| AMD Athlon XP | 2001 | 32-bit | Single Core |
| Intel Pentium M | 2003 | 32-bit | Single Core |
| AMD Opteron | Apr. 2003 | 64-bit | Single Core |
| AMD Athlon 64 | Sep. 2003 | 64-bit | Single Core |
| AMD Sempron | 2004 | 32-bit | Single Core |
| Intel Celeron M | 2004 | 32-bit | Single Core |
| Intel Celeron D | 2004 | 64-bit | Single Core |
| AMD Athlon 64 X2 | 2005 | 64-bit | Dual Core |
| Intel Pentium D | 2005 | 64-bit | Dual Core |
| Intel Dual-Core Xeon | Oct. 2005 | 64-bit | Dual Core |
| Intel Core Duo | 2006 | 32-bit | Dual Core |
| Intel Core 2 Duo | 2006 | 64-bit | Dual Core |
Display Resolution
Display resolution measured in pixels in width and height gives you how many details your screen can show. For a laptop, it also affects how large external monitor it can be suited. At any rate, it is of little use to hook up a laptop of limited resolution to a large display. Things on screen will get bigger, but you'll only see as much because the image shown will be limited by the resolution your computer supports. For example, 1280 x 800, 1440 x 900, 1680 x 1050, the higher, the better.
Hard Disk Drive (HD)
Historically disk space gets cheaper and cheaper year after year on a per gigabyte (GB) bases. The more copious the disk space, the better. However, if you're not going to use it up and have a lot of free disk space sitting around, the money you throw in will depreciate quickly. But, if you do music and video a lot, then you need a lot of space to work around with, especially for video editing. Also, the higher RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) that measures the rotational speed of the motor's spindle, the better.
Optical Drive
Slot-loading optical drives that read CDs and DVDs are fancier than tray-loading ones. If you want to be able to burn DVDs, you need an optical drive that is capable of writing onto DVDs. An optical DVD drive with capable of reading and writing should have DVD+/-RW in the spec, usually called Combo drives or Superdrives.
Battery Life
Longer battery life is more convenient in notebook computer. Depending on the configuration and design, the battery life (i.e. the time your battery will run before it must be recharged) varies from model to model. Stay away from models with a battery life that lasts only 3 hours under regular usage. Look for models that claim as long as 5 hours of battery life or more.
Wireless
Built-in wireless capability is a must to have. All 54-Mbps 802.11g is backward compatible with older and slower 11-Mbps 802.11b, while 802.11a/g wireless cards have the flexibility to connect not only to 802.11b (11-Mbps), 802.11g (54-Mbps), but also 802.11a (54-Mbps) networks. Unlike both 802.11b and 802.11g standards which use the 2.4 gigahertz, the 802.11a standard uses the 5 GHz band, and is therefore not affected by products operating on the 2.4 GHz band. If you need to connect to Bluetooth-enabled portable devices (i.e. cell phone, earphone, etc), you also need a computer that also has Bluetooth built-in.
Office Productivity Software
Some computers come with pre-installed office suites included in the price. Office suites included may be Microsoft Works which may or may not include Microsoft Word, WordPerfect Office, or AppleWorks. Look for the spec and if it is not seen, then the suite is not included.
Compatibility
If you need to be in the Windows world for compatibility, go get a PC (Microsoft compatible). Otherwise, consider to buy a Mac because any Mac nowadays can read PC files pretty easily.
by Charles Gwa 2006-10-29
last revised on 2007-06-08 by Kyle Ko
|
