Which Computer Should I Buy?
 | Author:
Victor Sample
Vic Sample: MT43 News Treasurer |
What computer should I buy? The answer depends on a lot of personal preferences. An important first question is do you want an Apple Mcintosh or a PC running Windows? While that is an important decision, in this article I am going to discuss PCs running Windows.
There are quite a few computer manufacturers such as HP, Dell, Lenovo and Acer and they all make good computers.
The next decision point is do you want a "desktop" computer or a laptop? I like laptops because they are portable and since they have batteries they continue to work in the event of a power loss. Other people feel more comfortable with desktops that usually come with more ports and offer the ability to add more devices.
Many people think they need a computer with the newest, fastest CPU (Central Processing Unit) but most people rarely use enough of the capacity of their CPU to be concerned about CPU speed. Far more important to the performance of the computer is the amount of computer Memory. Memory is different than Storage. Storage usually refers to your disk storage that is persistent and remains after you turn the computer off. Memory is where the computer stores the data you are actively working on; when you turn the computer off the Memory is lost.
Accessing disk storage is very, very slow in terms of computer operations; accessing Memory is very fast. However, when the amount of Memory you are using exceeds the amount of physical memory you have, the operating system starts writing Memory to your disk and starts swapping memory - which is very, very slow.
If you are a user that has a lot of windows open and a lot of tabs open in your browser, you probably want to get a computer with a lot of Memory. Look for a computer with 8 to 16 gigabytes. If you are just a casual user 4 gigabytes will suffice.
The type of disk used in the computer is also important. In an earlier article, I discussed HDD (standard hard disk drives) vs. SSD (Solid State disk drives). Solid State disk drives are a newer technology that is much faster than HDD and should last longer since there are no moving parts.
However, SSD drives are very expensive. Lower priced PCs come with a 256 gigabyte SSD; expensive PCs with a 512 gigabyte SSD. PCs with HDD drives usually have much more disk storage. If you have a lot of data (pictures, videos, etc.) you probably want to choose a PC with an HDD - although you can purchase inexpensive external drives that provide a huge amount of storage.
You can find laptops ranging from around $300 to $2000 or even $3000. Unless you are a "gamer" you will rarely need a computer that costs thousands of dollars. The $300 to $600 range will suffice for most of us. We recently bought an HP laptop for a little over $300 and are very happy with it.
Think about your usage of the computer and the amount of Storage you actually use and pick a computer that matches your usage.
