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The following advises are based on many years of experience. They are provided as a free service to our customers and visitors. However, Computer Warehouse is not responsible for any damage as a result of following any of these guides.
- Choosing a computer can be difficult. First, you should decide what you are going to use the computer for. Then, you need to mind the configurations and your budget. Last but not the least, you should consider where to buy. We hope the following suggestions will help you make your selections.
- Computers are getting really inexpensive these days. Buy the most powerful Computer your budget allows is always a good idea.
- Computer prices do go down with time. However, that doesn’t mean that you should wait forever to use it, to learn from it, and, most of all, enjoy it. Computer is the best investment money can buy now! Why do I say that, knowing that the value of a computer goes down significantly with time? What a computer can help you is limitless.
- The most powerful computers these days are for gamers, servers, developers, student and scientists.
- Do not buy a so called “name-brand” or “major-brand” if upgrading may be on your mind a couple of years down on the road. These brands are specifically designed to hook you on buying only their highly priced components to maximize their 15-30% profit margin. Most “clone” makers are operating only with a 5-10% margin. Go figure where you could save money. Besides, most major PC makers are not really “manufacturers”. They are just “box-makers” – putting components together- like everybody else.
- Clone or house brands are often based on open structures, which means easier and cheaper upgrading, using “universal” components. You pretty much can go anywhere to have the computer served, upgraded, or repaired.
- You should consider putting a computer together yourself only if you have some computer knowledge and some spare time. It is not that easy the first time. However, it does get easier once you have started. The satisfaction you get from putting a computer together is difficult to describe with words. Besides, you could sell a few of them and try to become the next Michael Dell. Who knows…
- Rule of thumb: It is better deal to buy a new one instead of upgrading an old one if the old one is more than three years old.
- If all you need to do is word processing, spreadsheet, home finance, some basic windows games, e-mails, and browsing the Internet, you are an average user. Nothing really “high-end” is needed. Consider a mid-grade computer that includes 56k Modem, and any sound card. A 15” or larger monitor is recommended.
- Servers are lot more complex than any other computer systems. Normally servers should have as high a CPU speed as possible, preferably Pentium 4 microprocessor or AMD 64 Bit with 1MB cache, a minimum of 512MB memory and 36GB or higher hard disk drives, often SCSI along with a network adapter. SCSI hard drives are better designed for simultaneous data access and not limited to just four hard drives as their IDE counterpart. Since servers rarely deal with a complex graphics, 128MB video card would do the job, unless it is a Terminal Server. Use a large case with tons of cooling. Don’t forget an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and a tape backup drive to protect your data and investment.
- Designing a gaming computer is more fun than anything. Go with the top of the line processor. Take a minimum of 512MB memory and at least 80GB hard drive. The deciding factor is the video card for all the 3D action. You need the best video card your budget allows! A DVD drive is a must these days. Depending on how the end-users plan to game you might need a network adapter or a modem. PC gaming is a lot of fun, so be sure design a computer that you can enjoy it for a long time. Do get a nice sound card. For game machine, do not even think about systems with integrated components such as video and audio. You will hate it when the next version of your favorite game is released.
- If you are choosing a computer for normal office work, only the mid-range computer is necessary. We actually recommend Intel celeron or AMD Sempron. Celeron or Sempron is quiet more inexpensive with less cache than their Pentium or AMD 64 Bit, cousin but is almost equally powerful. You really do not need that much cache for word processing, spreadsheet, and e-mail.
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