by ZaAndrei Zaharia

Created on: February 28, 2009   Last Updated: May 16, 2009

Have you ever had that feeling when you go into the computer store? I'm referring to the awkward decision making process you have to go thought to pick a computer for whoever - your dad, your mom, your child, friends, or even yourself! It's true; most of us had that before! It's ok, because nowadays, there's an endless selection of computer types and brands. Going into a computer store, or even into the computer section of a store, can be very discouraging! If you want some really useful buying tips and pointers, please bear with me, because this is not a easy subject to comprehend!

Ever heard of the huge debate? Intel versus AMD processors... there is no definitive winner; since new processors have been launched by both companies! Intel is known for its top of the line performance, while AMD is known for its energy efficiency and cheaper processors. The processor is the first thing you should consider for any computer, being a laptop or desktop workstation. This is where the road splits in half. Basic necessities on a computer, such as email, word processing, music, movies etc, can be accomplished by all computers. Anything you want to add to that list that can soak up a lot of resources, such as AutoCAD, movie encoding/editing, gaming, and music editing add to your computer necessities. This means that in the end, you will be better off with a multi-core processor such as the AMD X2, the X4, or the Phenom II series. The Intel equivalent for those will be the Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors. I personally own the Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor, and I am fully satisfied with its potential! This is the cheapest quad core processor out there, and it is much better than anything that is offered from AMD's X4 series, not the new X4 II series. For a desktop, I suggest at least a Q9200 from Intel, or a AMD II x4 920. These processors will give you a good performance pool to play around in!

I'm sorry if you I confused you a little. But please, take my word for it, a quad core will go a long way to improving you system performance in anything, especially in Windows Vista and the upcoming Windows 7. Gigahertz, or GHz, can be very deceiving. This is not the only thing that affects the computers performance. A 3 GHz dual core processor is nowhere close to the performance coming from a beastly 2.4 GHz Quad Core. Try to aim for at least a 2.8 GHz dual core or any Quad Core processor.

Now, let's talk a little about the system temporary memory, RAM (Random Access Memory).

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