by Adam Rogers

Created on: August 24, 2008

Buying a desktop computer for somebody else can be a challenging thing to do. You could just go out a buy the first thing that you see, and chances are the person you are getting it for will love it just the same, at least for the reason that they did not have to pay for it. Doing it this way however, there is a good chance that you will begetting them something they do not need or want. So let us go over a few things to help you pick the right one for them.

The first thing we need to know, is what type of person are they? Are they a Tech nerd that knows a lot about computers? Are they able to use a computer, but don't know enough to ask them any hardware questions? Or do they not have a computer, and you are buying their first one?

If they are a tech nerd, My recommendations would be to just get them a gift card to a computer shop that you know they shop at, or on the day that the gift giving is for, take them there to pick it out.. The chances are they most likely know what they would want or need better than anybody else.

If they are in any other category other then tech nerd, here is a list of questions that you will need to answer.

- What are they going to use it for? This is the biggest question to answer, if it's for gaming, programming, E-mail, web-surfing, or writing, what the system will need to be able to do is different for each task.

- Why are you getting them a computer? Is it for school, work, or did they just need a new system? Knowing this can also help with answering the above question.

- Do they like Mac or PC? If you get a PC for a Mac person, or vise-versa they will likely no appreciate the gift as much.

After you have the answer to those questions, you should go to a shop that sells nothing but computers and computer parts. Tell the people there what you are wanting to buy, and what budget you have to work with, and the information you gathered from the questions above. They will help you build a system that is right for them, but do not buy it then! Talk to at least four computer shops, taking notes on their recommendations, and get price quotes in writing.

Now if it is not the person's first computer, or they are not just going to use it as a glorified typewriter, and/or E-mail messenger, It would be best to get the computer from the computer shop that gave you the most help, and/or best price. If it was not your best price, but most helpful, with the price quotes you picked up, you should be able to talk down the price to being comparable to

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