What do I look for when buying a new computer?

What do I look for when buying a new computer?
Computer manufacturers continue to struggle with weak business. Meanwhile, component manufacturers are making their goods smaller, faster and cheaper. The upshot: You can get a good deal on a muscular machine. I believe YCS makes an excellent computer for all your needs but lets go over what you should options you should consider before deciding which one you want. Following are seven points to ponder before you buy:

1. The microprocessor
This is one of the most expensive parts. For Windows machines, you have a choice of the AMD Athlon XP, the Intel Pentium 4 and the Intel Celeron, an economy chip. The Pentium 4 and Athlon XP are upper end chips. The fastest Pentium 4 runs at 3.2 gigahertz — a very fast speed indeed. The comparable AMD chip, the 3200+, is slightly less expensive. But the Intel is more reliable. You may need these fire-breathers if you're doing lots of video editing. Ditto if you're working with computer-aided design or playing advanced games. Otherwise, look to chips running at 2.4 GHz to 2.6 GHz (or 2400+ to 2600+, in AMD-powered machines). They're cheaper, and they perform nearly as well as the top-end chips. Intel's Celeron is a budget chip. I only suggest them for minimal usage. I feel the Petium 1.8 Ghz would still be a better choice.
AMD chips run at lower speeds than those made by Intel. AMD uses the + symbol, as in 3200+, to imply that its chips are faster than comparable Intel microprocessors, despite running more slowly. Indeed, tests often show that to be the case. They are slightly cheaper, but for most of my clients I suggest the Intel brand. I will sell AMD, but usually upon request. Since the chip is the most expensive part I suggest making your buying decision based on the best speed you can afford. Our price structure is based on that premise so most of the higher end parts are bundled with the faster computers. But as always you can mix and match to build whatever you want.

2. The operating system
Windows XP comes in two flavors: Home and Professional. Windows XP Professional is a superset of Home; it has all of Home's goodies, plus some other stuff. Most of it is networking capability. Professional costs about $100 more. But it does have some nice features. One is Remote Desktop, which allows you to access one computer from another. For instance, you could sign onto your office computer from home and check your e-mail. It also allows you to encrypt files and folders. You can get Windows 2000 or 98 but it looks like the PC market is going to settle with XP for awhile and since Microsoft has stopped supporting Windows 98 I would suggest going with the lasted that is available, provided your YCS tech has expressed that it is stable enough for you to use. If you are an expert then you may want to work with Linux or another OS but most will want XP with their system.

3. Random access memory
You will need a minimum of 256 megabytes of memory. All of our computer have 256 standard. If you can afford it, get 512 MB. The higher end computer on our price list will have 512 MB. I'd go to one gigabyte for demanding applications, such as video editing. I have a friend who has an old machine with Windows XP and 128 MB of memory. Microsoft says that will work, and it is right. But it doesn't work very well. She cannot run Microsoft Word on that machine. There just is not enough memory to accommodate both Windows XP and Word. So buy more — it is relatively inexpensive compared to the cost of delay of work without it.

4. Hard drives are big and bigger
How about hard drives? If you do a lot of video work, you need a big hard drive. Actually, the bigger the better, because video files are huge. Hard drives at 200 to 250 GB are common and relatively inexpensive. Otherwise, the gargantuan drives common today far outstrip the customer's needs. Even our lower-end machines have 40 GB hard drives. You are unlikely to fill that. I recommend putting your extra money elsewhere. Our higher end system does have an 80 GB drive. If you do video work and want a larger hard drive I suggest using the 200GB as a second drive. This allows the OS to function on the smaller drive and allows faster speed when writing those video data files. This will also reduce crashes and defragging time.

5. The video system
The video system sends the picture to the monitor. Many inexpensive computers use the main-system RAM to run video. The video processor is built into the motherboard (the main circuit board). This works, but is less desirable. Better computers have a separate circuit board, called a video card. This includes the video processor and memory. For video cards, 64 MB of RAM is pretty standard. That's more than enough for day-to-day computing. All of the YCS computer have video cards. Our standard is a G-Force 2 card with 64 MB of RAM. Our higher end systems do have a G-Force 4 with more RAM. If you are doing video work or playing advanced games, get a card with 128 MB of RAM. Truly hardcore gamers can get cards with 256 MB of RAM.

6. The monitor
Do you need to buy a monitor? Monitors don't necessarily come with all computers. In fact YCS sells all their monitors and computers seperately so you can choose if you really need one. Why would you do that? If you're satisfied with your current monitor, it should work OK with your new computer. Only buy an new monitor if you are playing advanced games or your current monitor is in bad condition. We sell top of the line monitors and usually then can last for 2 or 3 computers.
There are two basic types of monitor, as mentioned above: CRTs and flat-panels. CRTs are much less expensive: We can get you a high end 17-inchers for around $200. That is a good, big screen. I would not buy a CRT monitor that was less than 17 inches. Keep in mind that that measurement is diagonal, and includes a portion of the screen hidden behind the bezel. A 17-inch CRT will have a visible screen size of 16 inches or less. We do carry larger models but most clients dont want to give up the space on their desk. Flat-panel monitors are far more expensive than CRTs. They come in two flavors: analog and digital. Digital signals are produced natively by the computer; they do not need to be converted. Analog signals are converted from digital by the video system. Some consider digital signals clearer. When deciding between a Flat panel or CRT, first decide on how long you are going to be in front of the monitor. For longer sessions you may want the CRT, due to less eye strain. We do carry a number of Flat Panel monitors, just ask your YCS tech for more information.

7. CDs and DVDs
All computers come with optical drives — either CD or DVD. We ship our systems standard with a 56X CD-ROM drive. But as CD recorders and DVD players are becomming more popular you may want to look into those options. For the average business workstation, you do not need a CD recorder or DVD player. But for home use, or for the technical department of your office you may want to have at least a CD recorder. This can be used to store backup data or even transfer data from one office to another. The DVD players are usually for home use. It can hold more data, but it is usually used to watch movies on your home computers. There is also the DVD-recorder. DVD is wildly popular, but remains troubled by incompatible standards. You're likely to see DVD+R/RW or DVD-R/RW on a computer. They are incompatible, but most players can handle R discs made on either. R means a disc can be recorded once. RW stands for rewriteable, meaning a disc can be recorded numerous times. DVD burners can also make CDs. I personally dont think the average person needs the DVD recorder unless you are working extreme amounts of data or video work. We do offer a DVD player and CD-recorder upgrade (two seperate drives) to any of our systems for $100.

How long should I wait?
I am asked a lot about when to get a computer. There is much concern about buying a computer and a better, faster, bigger, computer coming out. There will always be something faster, better, hotter, cooler, bigger or smaller coming. If you need a computer, buy one now. Technology will always improve. The question is when do you want to start benefiting from it. The computer industry is improving on average 4 times every 2 years. So if you want to have a current system, (being current is able to pick any software package off the shelf and it being able to work on your computer) you should look to upgrade or replace your computer every 2 to 3 years. Replacement is usually the best action since you can give your older system to a child or family member to learn on and get some more life out of a system. If you dont have someone to give the older system to, your YCS technician will be more than happy to help you donate to an organization that will ensure that a child or non-profit organization will put it to good use.