One cannot deny that computers nowadays are part of our daily living. Computers are essential to businesses, military, government, schools, and even at home. They are widely used around the globe by people of different classes, which may include but not limited to executives, military personnel, researchers, professors, students and even common people at home. Computers promote us to do our work conveniently and efficiently. These machines allow us to multitask, create documents, edit videos and photos, watch movies, play a videogame, and browse the internet. Computers really hold infinite possibilities.
Although computers are readily available on the market, the most common problem for consumers is the dilemma on what kind of computer they need to buy. Computers are not cheap therefore most people want to get the most out of their hard earned money.
Here are some tips and guidelines on how to choose the right computer with specifications compatible with your needs.
1. Determine your budget. You should know first the main function or your computer. Will it be for home use only? Will it be mainly for Internet browsing? Will it be for photo and video editing? Will it be mainly for gaming? These are the most common questions you need to answer for yourself in order to determine your needed budget for your computer. A computer for home use and daily internet browsing usually cost at an average of 550 USD (25,000 PHP). But computers built for video editing and gaming costs a lot more ranging from 800 USD (37,000 PHP) up to 1500 USD (70,000 PHP) for enthusiasts.
2. Laptop or Desktop? This is the most common dilemma of consumers. Desktop computers are appropriate to people who usually works most of the time at home, people who needs their computer turned on for a long period and people who need powerful
computing needs like video and photo editing, workstations and gaming. Laptop computers are smaller, more compact version of desktop computers. Laptops are suitable for people who are always on the go, for teaching and presentation purposes and for people who works usually outside their home.
3. Invest on a reliable power supply unit (PSU). Most consumers neglect this piece of hardware of a computer and suffer consequences in the end. Generic power supply unit are cheaper (11 USD or 500 php) but they lack most of the important features a
PSU should have. Generic PSUs have lower peak wattage than what is declared; therefore, it will not provide enough juice to power the most critical components of the system resulting in faster wear and tear of the components. They also lack power surge protection, sleeved wires, static proof cases, and efficient cooling capabilities. Branded power supply units are more expensive (54 USD or 2,500 php) but are durable and a lot reliable than generic PSU. Good brands of PSU are HEC, Gigabyte, and Thermaltake. By investing on a good power supply, you can save a lot more.
4. But at least 2gb of RAM. This will make your computer run faster and execute programs efficiently. A minimum of 1gb of ram is
acceptable but most software nowadays are power hungry and needs a lot of memory. A 2gb ram is more than enough for daily computing and even for gaming.
5. Single Core, Dual Core or Quad Core. For daily computing, with mixed simple
gaming and editing, single core processors are suitable for your needs. For midstream gaming, photo editing and simple multitasking, dual core processor is the choice. However, when you require a lot of processing power like serious video and photo editing, graphics rendering, and serious multitasking, quad core processors will definitely help.
6. Buy a separate decent and reliable graphics card for gaming. There are many types of graphics card available on the market intended for specific needs, there are budget cards (less than 100 USD or less than 4,000 php) for simple gaming, midstream cards (250 USD or 11,500 php) to provide decent graphics on modern games, and high-end cards (400 USD or 18,500 php) for hardcore gamers who needs maximum performance.
7. LCD or CRT Display. CRT (Cathode-ray Tube) monitors are larger, bulky, generate a lot of heat and use more electricity than
LCD panels. But CRT provides the best color and contrast than LCD panels. LCD panels are slim, cool and power efficient, but less accurate in terms of color and contrast. The choice between the two is usually according to user preference, but theoretically, CRT are better for gaming, LCD are suitable for people with limited space at home and needs a less power hungry display.
8. Choose a CPU casing based mainly on functionality and aesthetics second
only. Choose a CPU case with a lot of room inside so that you can easily manage wiring, arrange devices properly and provide good airflow. Good airflow means cooler system. A cluttered, unorganized CPU disrupts airflow, which causes heat to build up inside the CPU case. The more the heat, the more your devices are prone to overheating. Overheating causes your computer to turn off suddenly and can interrupt work, and worse, destroy the system.
Buying a computer appropriate to your needs is very important. Not only you get the most out of your money, but also you will be more productive because you chose the right component of the computer that fits your needs.
N.B. As promised, this is the second of Sir Nikes’ Guest posting here in my blog. Thanks again, for the very informative article.
