How to Buy a Good Computer

If you had purchased a computer just 2 years earlier, then you must be aware that your system is now unofficially outdated and you would have to seriously think about purchasing a new PC to keep your performance level up and execute all those cutting edge software smoothly without hanging up your computer or slowing it down.

Things change very quickly in the Computer Hardware industry and new innovations that boosts up your computers performance happen almost bimonthly. So making a decision to upgrade or purchase a whole new computer is very difficult and that too in this recession period make even more difficult. But you also cannot compromise on performance. So the only factor that matters is an intelligent decision.

If you are not a heavy user and if you do not have to deal with extreme graphics like the Video Editing Industry, then probably a mid range computer will satisfy your needs. So first decide what will be your future demands. This is the most crucial point as this will decide which computer you will buy. There are two versions of processors available, 32 bit and 64 bit. 64 Bit system is faster and more efficient than the 32 bit version. But the software that you will be executing on that system has to support the 64 bit architecture. So first prepare the list of software you will use and check out whether a 64 bit version of that software is available or not.

Next comes the decision of RAM. Currently the market is flooded with DDR2 series of RAM. DDR3 has also been into the market and is faster than the DDR2 counterpart. But again they are expensive and it is expected that their prices will come down significantly by mid of 2009. Check if your chipset supports DDR3 series and it would be preferable to invest in it as they have proven track record of speed and performance that far exceeds that of DDR2. Currently only a few motherboards support this series.

The third in the series is the Display. CRT are almost gone now. People either prefer TFT or LCD. They are lighter in weight and use less power than CRT's. They are also good for your health. Many companies now offer Wide Screen flavors. They are better for editing documents and viewing Films and videos.

These three plays the most important role in your purchasing a good computer. So get the reviews of these components from a respected source either from Internet or from magazines. Compare them, see their pros and cons, check them out for your requirements and then make a decision of purchasing.