Choosing the Right Desktop Computer

A desktop computer is still somehow popular in these times of wireless technology and easy to carry laptops. Professionals, family computers and small organizations still pick traditional personal computers in the form of desktops for their needs, work and other requirements. Things like the amount of RAM available, the screen size, the graphic card in use, the hard drive capacity the OS, the version of OS etc., are all criteria that people consider before purchasing a desktop computer.

All these criteria are important and what comes bundled with the computer is also of importance. The kind of mouse and keyboard, the security software and of course after sales service is very important.

The use you will put your computer to is very important in decision making. If simple browsing, emailing and casual Internet use is what you’re looking for, then a budget computer – under $500 is something you should be looking at. Acer, Lenovo and Dell are good choices for this range.

If playing heavy duty games and MMORPGs like DOTA, Battlefield, Second Life, CounterStrike et al, is what you want the computer for, you’ll need one with a high-end graphics card. Asus, Coolermaster and Alienware are what you should be looking at. You could alternatively buy a desktop with a decent graphic card and then buy a high-end one to swap it out. But it will need to be compatible with other components like the motherboard. So, you’ll need to do a bit of research on that.

The bundled monitor should be of quality too. Bigger isn’t always better. A large screen does not necessarily translate into a good view or user experience. A poorly designed large screen will also translate to low resolution images, broken pixels, weird corners and bad lighting and resolution. It is a much better idea to buy a desktop computer with a smaller screen size that comes with good pixel quality and adequate screen resolution. The viewing quality is bound to be much better and it will help provide a positive user experience.

Some desktops come with Linux and you’ll need to buy the Windows OS if that’s what you want. But some others come with Windows pre-installed and the newer the version of Windows the more expensive the computer.

With use computers tend to slow down, so ensure you have good after sales and a warranty on the components as well. Buying a branded computer is much better than taking different components and putting them together because if you aren’t too technologically sound, the components might not be compatible with each other and you might end up with a dud.

When data starts filling up the hard drive, boot up time might slow down. This isn’t a bad thing, but if bootup times are more than 60 seconds it might be time to service the computer. Keep your security/anti-virus up-to-date. Often computers come bundled with security, but you could alternatively buy additional security from any brand you like. Kaspersky, Norton, AVG and Avast are some of the brands that are popular.

Choosing the right desktop computer isn’t difficult, just ensure you know exactly what you need it for and know the right questions to ask when shopping around for it.