by Abby Way

Created on: June 13, 2009

Buying a computer is a dizzying whirlwind of choices, extremes, and "buy now!" declarations from salespeople. It's important to make decisions before you step into the electronics store with your cash or plastic card at the ready, to avoid spending too much or ending up with an underperforming monstrosity of a computer.

Here are some steps to follow to help you determine which computer is right for your needs:

1. Decide whether you want a desktop or a notebook.
Notebooks, also known as laptops, have become increasingly popular each year. Their portability and light weight make them great for students, businesspeople, and those who want to use their computers in the comfortable spots of their house. They have displays that are just as good as desktops, customizable hardware configurations, and features like USB, Firewire, external display and audio ports, DVD players and CD/DVD burners, etc. They can run just as fast as desktops, and even run faster in some cases.

Desktops, on the other hand, are fine for those who usually work and compute from home. There are displays available that are bigger than seventeen inches (the standard maximum for a laptop without it becoming unwieldy), the comfort of familiar keyboards and mice, and generally faster speeds that can make the difference for hardcore gamers are some advantages of desktops.

2. Decide whether you want a Mac or a PC.
This debate is always raging between techies who support each side. The choice, however, is yours. You need to choose the computer that's right for you, which might be different than the computer that's right for a friend or family member.

MULTIMEDIA AND GENERAL USE COMPUTER
If you're going to be taking pictures, making albums and slideshows, recording videos, working with graphics, or similar multimedia tasks, a Mac is generally better. They are more stable and less prone to crashing, include multimedia software with your purchase (one reason why they're higher-priced; you have to buy such software separately if you go with a PC), and are very intuitive once you get used to them. They're generally faster and better for productivity than PC's.

INTENSIVE GAMING COMPUTER
Gamers often prefer PC's, because many games are either PC-only, or the Mac versions lag behind the PC ones. You can overcome this with virtualization software that allows you to start any operating system on your Mac, but if you are a hardcore gamer and spend a lot of time on it, you might prefer a PC.

3. Choose your extras.
Once you've selected whether you want a desktop or laptop, and whether you are going to get a Mac or a PC, it's time to choose your extras. If you want to burn DVD's or will be doing intensive work with USB devices, for example, it's important to determine what you need at minimum from a computer. Consider what you usually use your computer for and what you might need to do in the future and then search online for computers, armed with this knowledge. You'll be able to make a more informed, rational choice and get the best price possible.

After you've made your decision as to the right type of computer to suit you, all that's left is price-shopping to find it at the best possible price, and then set it up and enjoy!

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