What should you look for when buying a computer in terms of RAM video-sound cards processors CD-DVD drives and burners OP systems USB etc?

Answer 1

It depends what you want to do. Some things that may help are the following: 1.) How much are you ABLE to spend? Stay in your price range.

2.) Windows, Apple or Linux? If you're new to computers you may want to go for Windows or Mac, Advanced users normally go Linux. (for you so called advanced users ALL OS'S suck. choose one that makes you feel like a guru).

3.) Dell, Gateway, Apple or locally built? The big corps are good but you might be impressed with a small shop near you neighborhood. The biggest advantage with a small shop is, if it has problems you can get it fixed faster and phone support is way faster. Technology is always changing and some people feel they know what is best for YOU , from the guys who work for CompUseless to BEST TRY or the wanna be hacker kid who crashes your new computer, you can be assured, no matter what kind your going to get, something might go wrong with it and then the other guy will tell you you should of listened to them!

Personally, I use Windows, Linux & Mac. they all have there pros & cons. I tend to favor Apple. why? you might ask? & if you know me , I am a Linux Administrator. Because "It's easy to use" and isn't that what a computer is supposed to be? Some people feel windows ie easier for new users , fine. but remember ONLY YOU KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU! It really looks as though this guy didn't really answer your question proficiently. He is right in the fact that you must decide what you want to use your computer for.

What should you look for when you're buying a computer?

It very much depends on what you want to do with the machine, basically you need to look for a PC that fits your needs. Computers are practical devices, which will help you in completing your daily tasks more efficiently. Daily tasks Of course every person that uses a PC has common daily tasks that can be performed with it e.g. checking email, writing a text document, to browse the internet, compiling your own CD's, listening to music and managing external audio devices (like ipods). The power user But if you are one of those persons who wishes to edit and create images with an heavy duty image editor (like PhotoShop) or editing video (and to do this at a decent speed) is better of with buying a more powerful system. For those wishing to perform daily tasks only, a PC with the basic specifications written below will be most satisfactory: - A hard drive which has a large capacity (300 GB min.) - 1 GB of RAM - A CD/DVD burner (for sharing photo albums, enjoying acquired music elsewhere) - Common Ports at the front of the PC like audio and mic jacks, usb slots and maybe a multi cardreader (for digital cameras and so on).

A PC which doesn't have a high end power processor but has a decent processor which runs at a decent speed (1.7Ghz) and is built to last. -Integrated Sound and GPU (Graphical processing unit) - Basic sound system (2 speakers) - 17' inch LCD screen - Mouse and Keyboard (wireless or not). - An OS which suits your needs. I chose this combination of components because they're aimed for the future. Written below is a short summary which further explains my choice.. Sizes of games and applications are increasing as they become more complex and collections of music and documents keep growing.

Today's applications (and OS'es) demand more RAM. People nowadays tend to do multiple tasks at once (browsing, making documents listening music and so on). A not too fancy processor and Integrated Audio and GPU devices will help in keeping the cost down of the PC system itself.