What is the right PC for you?
It's a big decision - one that you may live with for several years.
That's why we've put together this informative look at PC buying - from
understanding what the PC will be used for to understanding all the terms and
features that go along with the evaluation and buying process. Your desktop has
the potential to be a communication center, a word processor, a multi-media
player for music and movies, your portal to the Internet and much more.
It's not as daunting a task as you may think. And once you've evaluated your
needs, made your decision and purchased your new system, you can rest assured in
the knowledge that you're getting the most from that PC and from your PC
investment.
Preconfigured vs. custom-built
If you purchase your PC from a local discount store, many of the decisions
discussed in this document will already have been made for you. The system will
come with a predetermined amount of memory, a specific hard drive, and so on.
The problem is, that pre-configured system may not meet your needs.
To get the most our of your technology investment, we recommend that you
purchase your PC from a company that allows you to customize it to your exact
requirements.
A standard configuration might offer 512MB of RAM, which you can easily increase, "standard issue" might include a
80 GB hard drive, but you can specify the bigger size. By the same token, if the system starts out with a
320GB hard drive, you can just as easily save some money by specifying a smaller one. Video
card may be built in - but you can easily include the one to suit your needs. It's
absolutely the best way to get exactly what you want and need.