John Barnett Computer Journalist
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Lesson 1: Buying Your Computer

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PCs are a lot less expensive today than they were say, five or ten years ago; however, buying a new one can still take a large chunk of your hard earned cash. For this reason it is perhaps wise to know roughly what you are looking for prior to embarking upon your shopping trip.

One word of caution worth instilling into you before you actually part with your cash is: 'Don' let the salesperson talk you into buying something you don't want or need.' It is pointless, as I am sure you will agree, paying a premium price for a gaming PC when all you are planning on using it for is the occasional email or word processing document.

The salesperson is interested in making a sale and, at the same time, increasing his/her commission. If that means selling you something more expensive, then it is their job to do so. Just make sure you wise up to their tactics and not fall for them.

Desktop or Laptop?

The three main PC types are:

While this explanation maybe somewhat self explanatory to the vast majority of you, I think it only fair to explain a little further for those who are not familiar with the relevant PCs.

The difference between the three is pretty obvious in a side by side comparison, but sometimes names can be misleading.

Desktop

The desktop PC (see Fig:1) is the main workhorse of the computing world and is quite a bulky piece of equipment, which is best situated on a table or desk - hence its name. Desktops are also, usually, more powerful than their laptop/tablet counterparts.

Compaq Presario SG3202LA Desktop

Fig: 1 The HP Compaq Presario SG3202LA Desktop PC

Upgrading a desktop is also much easier than a laptop. Desktops consist of a Tower (holding the hard drive, video card, CD/DVD-ROM, etc); a Monitor; Keyboard and Mouse. Each of these items are separate entities and will be described more fully in the next lesson - Anatomy of the PC.

Laptop

As the name suggests, a laptop (see Fig:2) sits on your lap; you may also see them referred to as Notebooks in magazine and TV advertisements. The laptop is an all in one unit containing a monitor screen, keyboard, touch mouse and CD/DVD-ROM.

compaq 6520s notebook

Fig: 2 HP Compaq 6520s Notebook PC

The laptop is typically slim and weighs around 8 to 10 pounds. Actually the weight of the laptop is an important consideration, because it can become quite uncomfortable if the laptop is seated on your lap for a long period of time.

Another important issue is that of heat generated by the laptop while it is on your lap; although you can get special support equipment that will raise the laptop off your knees, thus offering a more ergonomic position and, at the same time, allowing cooler air to circulate around the laptop casing.

Tablet

A tablet PC (see Fig:3) has a similar design to that of a laptop, but has a touch sensitive screen. Some are equipped with keyboards and others are just like a slate. When a keyboard is not present, information can easily be inputted using a stylus or digital pen. Tablet PC's are usually reasonably slim and lightweight enabling the user to hold the tablet in a more natural writing position.

compaq tc 4400

Fig: 3 HP Compaq tc4400 Tablet PC

There are around three main types of tablet PC:

Tablet PC's are ideal for the mobile business person. Although extremely useful in a mobile situation they can, unfortunately, come with a hefty price tag.

Custom Made or Generic

Custom made PCs are machines that are put together according to a users' specific requirements. You may, for instance, require a specific type of casing, motherboard, graphics card or processor not readily available as a boxed package at your local computer superstore. A custom made PC is usually restricted to the Desktop variety; Laptops and Tablets usually being generic. A Custom made PC will usually be assembled by a small, local computer shop.

Generic PCs, on the other hand, are mass produced. Each model looks exactly the same as the next and, generally, have the same hardware/software configurations. Companies such as Dell, Gateway, Hewlett Packard, Packard Bell, etc are the usual suppliers of generic PCs. On the plus side the generic PC is somewhat less expensive than a custom made PC because the manufacturer can turn them out in such large quantities.

Whether you buy a custom made or generic PC is left entirely up to you. The generic version will probably come with many extras that your local one man operation is unable to supply as standard without actually having to pass on the cost to the buyer.

Laptops and tablets, as I've already said, are mainly generic, although some suppliers will custom make them. One of the  main reasons why the small local business doesn't custom make them is initial cost; they simply cannot compete with the larger manufacturer's. When buying a laptop you should be prepared for a little 'give and take' on what you feel you need and what is actually available. In the end finances will be the deciding factor, so my advice is to spend your money wisely.

With generic PCs you may get additional software added to the initial package. If you are lucky you may also get a printer thrown in with the deal. However, this isn't a done deal. In most cases a printer will be an 'optional' extra and must therefore be purchased as such.

At least you do have the choice that, if you are never likely to use a printer, you don't have to buy one. Should you feel the need to add a printer, though, this can easily be purchased at a later date.

Intel or AMD Processor

You have probably seen all the television advertising for PC's with 'Intel' inside. This is referring to the main processor or CPU (computer processing unit). In the world of processor manufacturers there are two contenders Intel and AMD, therefore, when you buy a PC you will usually have a choice of whether you buy one with an Intel or AMD chip.

As with everything else there are devotees for each particular brand. I personally favour Intel, but that is my personal preference. I have tried AMD and, although the system does appear a little faster, it is usually offset by a reduced processor speed. The only real way of judging processor speed is by benchmarking each system, but that is somewhat complex for the average user.

Of course one noticeable difference, which may actually be more important, is that AMD processors are somewhat less expensive than their Intel counterparts so, in many cases, your budget may be the final arbitrator as to which manufacturer you ultimately go for.

Monitor

PC monitors come in a variety of sizes, currently ranging from 15 inches to 22 inches. A few years back the standard PC monitor was of the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) variety. While the picture quality of CRT monitors is excellent the main disadvantage is its bulk. A CRT monitor can be as large and bulky as a standard portable television set.

Nowadays most monitors sold with a new PC are of the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) type. This enable the monitor to be slimmer and thus take up less desk space than a conventional CRT model.

Obviously, when buying a laptop or tablet PC your only option is an LCD display and you are also restricted slightly as to the ultimate size of the screen. In this instance one has to take into consideration the overall size of the laptop/tablet and also, most importantly, the additional weight of a larger integrated screen.

With a desktop PC the choice of monitor size is far more varied with a typical size being around 17 to 19 inches. Monitors over 19 inches are more suited to the professional user who maybe works with professional photo editing software or something similar and needs the larger surface area of a 22 inch screen.

Alternatively, a 22 inch screen is ideal if the PC will have a secondary role as an entertainment centre, enabling the user to watch both television transmissions (with a suitably installed TV card) and to watch videos.

For a desktop PC try to go for a monitor in the region of 17 to 19 inches. In the case of a laptop 15 to 17 inches should be large enough for the average users' needs.

Memory

The more memory the PC has, the better the performance. It is a well known fact that the quickest and, currently, least expensive route to improving performance is by adding additional memory (assuming, of course, your system will accept more memory.)

How much memory you need will depend upon a number of factors; these, typically, are as follows:

Most PCs are currently shipped with a version of Windows Vista, either the Home or Premium edition. The recommended minimum memory requirements for either of these versions of Windows is 512MB (Megabytes) - but this is the Minimum.

Significant improvement can be had by increasing the memory to 1GB (Gigabyte) or more. In some instances PCs are already sold with a minimum of 1GB and possibly even 2GB of memory as standard.

I know I said not to spend more money than is necessary on your new PC, but memory is important, so if it is the difference between 512MB and 1GB or more, then go for the higher memory capacity.

If this is not immediately possible, and, depending upon your motherboard, you can always increase the amount of memory you have at a later date by adding additional memory modules; however, more on that in the next lesson.

Graphics

The image you see on your PC screen is generated by the graphics or video card; without a graphics card you would see nothing.

Basically there are two types of graphics card - integrated and dedicated. Out of the two I personally prefer a dedicated graphics card.

The dedicated card slots into a PCI or PCI/E slot on your motherboard (some older machines will probably have AGP ports which accommodate the graphics card, but this type of card is now going out of fashion). A dedicated card is also easier to upgrade or replace should it become faulty.

Integrated graphics cards, on the other hand, are integrated with the motherboard and are thus permanent fixtures. Another disadvantage of the integrated card is that it shares some of the system memory of the main PC, thus making it somewhat slower. If the integrated card has a rated graphics memory of say, 128MB (Megabytes) and your system memory is say, 1GB (Gigabyte) your system memory would actually be reduced by 128MB (or whatever the graphics card memory was rated at). So instead of 1GB of system memory you would end up, using our example, with just 872MB of system memory (1GB - 128MB = 872MB).

A dedicated graphics card, on the other hand, has a built in memory module, therefore, it doesn't impede upon your system memory or performance. For example: if your dedicated graphics card has 128MB of memory you would have 128MB of independent memory for graphics and, using our previous example, the full 1GB of memory for your PC.

Even though integrated graphics are popular with many PC manufacturers, it is possible to install a dedicated graphics card in the system.

As with processors there are also two major contenders in the graphics chip market - ATI and Nvidia. When purchasing your new PC make a point of asking whether the video card is integrated into the motherboard or whether your PC has a dedicated video card.

If you want a dedicated card and the model you are looking at has an integrated video adaptor, you will either have to look for a PC with a dedicated card installed as standard, or else purchase one separately. Remember, however, if you can't install the card yourself, the shop will charge extra for the dedicated installation.

As with system memory the more memory the video card has the better will be the display resolution. Obviously if you are intending to play games on your PC, you will need a card with a decent amount of graphics memory. For the average user, however, 128 to 512MB is sufficient.

Hard Drive

The hard drive is where all your data, along with the Operating system, is stored. But, like all other forms of storage space, it is amazing just how quickly you can fill that space, especially when you are installing numerous hefty programs on your PC or storing large music, video and picture files.

For example, in the early days you could happily get away with a 40MB (Megabyte) hard drive and still have plenty of space to spare. Nowadays, with Windows Vista eating up as much as 10GB (Gigabytes) of disk space, even a 160GB hard drive can be hard pressed to have sufficient space once all your additional programs have been installed and you have started downloading all those video's and music files you've been after. So the moral of the story is, get a PC with the largest hard drive you can comfortably afford.

Okay, if funds are tight you can always buy another hard drive at a later date and install it alongside the one that originally came with the PC, but that is something you don't want to be thinking about at this point in time.

Once again, running two hard drives side by side requires a desktop PC. In the case of a laptop you would physically have to remove the original hard drive and replace it with a larger one. The only option for a laptop to have two drives is if one happens to be a removable USB drive.

Hard drives are available as ATA, SATA and Removable. The difference between each will be discussed in our second lesson, Anatomy of the PC.

Additional Software

If you are buying a generic PC from manufacturer's such as Dell, Gateway, HP, etc, chances are your PC will have additional software thrown in as an incentive for you to buy the product. This additional software usually takes the form of Anti Virus software, Word Processing or Office Suites Photo editing applications and/or CD/DVD burning software.

While all this looks attractive be aware that many programs supplied with new PCs (with the exception of the operating system, i.e., Windows XP or Vista) are actually trial versions.

The trial version usually runs for a period of 30 days or so then, to continue using it, you have to buy the full product. In most cases when you buy the product after the trial period the PC manufacturer gets a commission.

Next to the operating system the most important utility is Anti Virus software. Most, if not all, manufacturers supplying additional software install either Norton Anti Virus (or Norton Security Suite) or McAfee Anti Virus. Given the choice I would use neither. As I've said they will ultimately be trial versions and, even if you eventually buy the product (more commission for the manufacturer), you will still be saddled with a yearly subscription to keep the virus definitions up to date.

There are many totally free versions of both Anti Virus and Firewall software available, which are just as good as their paid for counterpart; maybe not as fancy, but equally as good. If you are stuck as to which free Anti Virus application to use I can recommend AVG Anti Virus (http://free.grisoft.com). An alternative is Avast Anti Virus (http://www.avast.com).

Of course, Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 come with their own free firewall applications; however, if you need something that is a little more user friendly, you need look no further than the free version of ZoneAlarm (http://www.zonelabs.com)

Recovery Disks

Newly purchased PCs come with the operating system pre-installed. So what happens if you have a problem and need to re-install the operating system? Well whoever manufactured the PC must provide you with a way of re-installing the operating system. This usually takes the form of a DVD containing the full version of the Operating system (usually an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) copy; a set of recovery disks or, more usual nowadays, a hidden partition on your hard disk on which an imaged copy of the operating system is stored.

When buying your PC make sure you ask what facilities the manufacturer has made to enable you to re-install the operating system should anything untoward occur. If you are given a recovery DVD or an authentic Microsoft OEM copy of the operating system then make sure you keep it safe. If the manufacturer has placed an image of the operating system onto a hidden partition on your hard drive, then you will have to create a recovery disk yourself, so make sure you read the PC manual carefully. In some instances you access the system recovery by pressing a combination of keys when the PC boots up. Again all these details should be outlined in the PC manual. All you need do is familiarise yourself with them.

One point worth mentioning is that, if your operating system (XP or Vista) has been pre-installed on your PC by the PC manufacturer or system builder they, the manufacturer or system builder, are responsible for supporting the operating system, not Microsoft. So if you have any problems with the operating system you call the PC manufacturer's technical support.

By using the recovery DVD or recovery partition what you effectively are doing is restoring the PC back to its factory conditions. In other words the PC is 'put back' to how it was when you first took it out of the box.

Restoring your PC back to factory conditions is only used as a 'last resort.' Rather than actually restoring back to factory conditions, which basically means that, if you have installed software of your own, you will need to re-install this after you have restored back to factory conditions. You would also lose any documents or files created prior to restoring back.

I much prefer to use third party software such as Acronis True Image to actually image the hard drive, along with all installed software and use this image to 'restore back' if a problem occurs. This type of software is also ideal for incremental backups of your system, but more on backing up your PC in a later lesson.

Windows Experience Index

Windows Vista has a new built in feature which enables users to better understand how third party software and Windows Vista itself will perform on their PC. It does this by assigning 'sub-scores' to various hardware components. These include:

The 'sub-scores' are not averages of the whole system performance they just relate to the relevant hardware.

This is a useful way of evaluating the general performance of any new PC running Windows Vista. For example, if the base score for the computer you are purchasing is say, below 2, then you would not be able to run the Windows Vista Aero interface. You would also probably find that the PC would be shipped with Windows Vista Home (which doesn't have the fancy Aero interface). To run Windows Aero you need to be looking at a base score of 3.0.

Low sub-scores do not mean the PC is useless, a PC with a sub-score of 1 or 2 can quite easily perform general computing tasks, run office applications and access the Internet. As a general guide the higher the base score the better the PC will perform.

Because the sub-score is assigned to the various pieces of hardware in your system it is easy to find out what piece of hardware is actually letting the system down. The screenshot below shows the Windows Experience Index of my own machine.

Windows Experience Index

Fig: 4 The Windows Experience Index

As you can see the overall base score is 3.4 but, if you look carefully at all the hardware components you will see that some have sub-scores in the region of 5.1 and 5.8. You will also notice that the graphics card scores 3.4 meaning that, for me, the graphics card is the weakest link in the chain. To increase the sub-score result for the graphics card would mean me upgrading the card to a better one.

In this respect the Windows Experience Index is ideal for letting the user know what is lacking in their system.