Computer Buying Guide

You Need A Computer Now!

• Your first major decision is whether you'll be buying a desktop or a laptop. Laptops run slightly more expensive, but they offer the advantage of portability and less installation. If your computer is meant to be used by the whole family, you might be better off with a desktop.
• After you've decided the type of computer you want, you'll also need to choose between a Mac and a Windows based computer. There are an endless amount of discussions devoted to choosing the better platform, but they're both very accessible and it really comes down to personal preference.
• Consider your storage needs. Almost every new computer will have a hard drive capable of holding over 100gb today, but if you plan on storing an extensive amount of data such as movies or music, you may want some more storage.
• Will anyone be playing computer games or editing music and movies on the computer? If so you'll want extra RAM and video memory capacity. These will help increase the performance of the more memory intensive applications
• If you don't want to pay for a computer with a lightning fast processor and top of the line memory cards yet, you can find one that is suitable for you now with the option to upgrade it later. Making these upgrades can be difficult if you're not familiar with computer components but they are usually cheaper.
• Look for a package that offers some the peripherals or accessories you might need in the future, such as a printer or scanner. You'll get more for your money and save yourself from having to buy them later.