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A guide to buying a new Computer
- 1. A Guide to buying a new Computer Buying a new computer can be a daunting and complicated experience depending on what you need out of it, this guide will hopefully be able to help you make the right decision. There are obviously some important points that you must keep in mind before buying a brand new computer, you must keep an eye on budgets as it is easy to be talked /tempted by a salesperson/website into buying something you really can’t afford. Set yourself a budget Decide whether you want a desktop / laptop or tablet Decide on the spec of the computer, i.e. storage and memory size Each type of computer serves a different purpose and ability, I have included the specs and uses for each computer to give you an idea of what they are used for. RAM – Random Access Memory, how many applications your computer can handle at once Screen size – The size of the monitor that you get for the computer CPU (Central Processing Unit) – This is a very important part of a computer, it determines how fast your computer will run. Operating System – This is the software that your computer will run off, this comes free with all computers on this list. Each computer in this list will be Wi-Fi enabled, make sure you have an Internet connection before buying. When you’re getting an Internet connection, remember these four things: 1. A home broadband connection allows you to connect to the internet and go online at any time of the day; this will need a router for you to connect to. 2. Remember not to go over budget 3. Research different providers and their prices to find one that matches your needs and budget 4. Be sure to protect your wireless router with a lengthy password to prevent illegal access 5. You might want to use a pay as you go 3G/4G dongle if you wont be using the Internet that much There are two main types of Internet connection, broadband and 3G/4G, if you choose to go for broadband you will more than likely have to buy a telephone number T.V. package along with it. If you choose to go 3G/4G, then you will need to either pay a monthly bill or buy credit as you go. 1
- 2. I have made a table of the different types of computers with all their specs and prices. Product Google Nexus 7 Tablet Chromebook (Netbook) Samsung Laptop Apple iPad Desktop Windows PC Apple iMac Types of Computer Specs Uses Screen size: 7” Processor: 1.3 GHz Quad Core RAM: 1GB Storage: 16GB or 32GB Operating System: Android Screen size: 11.6” Processor: 1.7GHz Dual Core RAM: 2GB Storage: 16GB Operating System: Chrome OS Screen size: 15.6” Processor: i3 2.4GHz Dual Core RAM: 6GB Storage: 750GB Operating System: Windows 8 Screen size: 9.7” Processor: 1.4GHz Dual Core RAM: 1GB Storage: 16GB Operating System: iOS Screen size: N/A (sold separately) Processor: i5 3.0GHz RAM: 8GB Storage: 1TB Operating System: Windows 7 Screen size: 21.5” Processor: i5 2.9 GHz Quad Core RAM: 8GB Storage: 1TB Operating System: OSX Used for its portability and versatility, has a decent battery life but not as good at the iPad. Price £148 A portable laptop that has very low storage with decent specs, it has a full keyboard unlike the tablets. £284 An expensive high spec laptop would be suitable for a portable business computer due to its big screen. £500 The iPad is a very highend tablet with a decently sized screen and battery life; it’s good for watching films. £359 An all-purpose desktop computer has medium specs meaning you can use this as a home computer. Though it doesn’t come with a monitor, so you will need to buy this separately. High end desktop computer would usually be used by developers for its simplicity and ease of use. £390 £1000 All spec information has been taken from products at www.amazon.co.uk. This link will take you to the home page where you can re-search the different products. 2
- 3. Customer Reviews for each Computer Customer Review Ratings R a t i n g s 9.2 9 8.8 8.6 8.4 8.2 Google Nexus Tablet Chromebook Notebook Samsung Laptop Apple iPad Desktop Windows PC Apple iMac Computer Models I used the website http://www.reevoo.com/ to find reviews for each computer. There was an average of 40 unique reviews for each product, here’s a selection of quotes for each product. “Great size & weight but gets a little confused now & again.” Stephen – Nexus 7 “It's a brilliant second laptop for lectures and seminars.” Greg – Chromebook “Great value for money offers everything you need but the battery life could be longer.” Su – Samsung Laptop “Easy to use but not great to hold.” Lynne – Apple iPad “Good value for money but had trouble installing the operating system” Ian – Desktop Windows PC “Very easy to set up but doesn’t have a DVD drive.” Ray – Apple iMac 3
- 4. Desktop PC/Laptop/Tablet Diagrams Desktop CD/DVD Drive Monitor/Screen Computer Tower Mouse Keyboard Laptop Monitor/screen CD/DVD Drive Keyboard Mousepad 4
- 5. Tablet Touch Screen On button All images show you the different components that you will need for each type of computer. Usage All computers have their own specialties and are suitable for different tasks; you need to decide what you want to use it for? Do you just want to play games? Use spreadsheets or PowerPoint? Do you only want to use it for going onto the internet? If you want to do all these then you have to make sure that the device you buy is compatible with the software you wish to use. Tablet This is a portable device that you can take anywhere. Should you want to use Microsoft Office these devices do not support the software. A tablet is great for playing games which can be downloaded from the App Store, you can also “surf the web” with a Wi Fi connection. Laptop This is a portable device that you can take anywhere. Laptops are able to support Microsoft Office and sometimes come with this pre installed; you need to check this before you buy. The software can be purchased separately but can be expensive. As for playing game you can do this but make sure that the laptop has a powerful video card and at least 1gig of RAM and you can then play any game you want. Your laptop can be used to access the Internet through both a Wi Fi and broadband connection. 5
- 6. Desktop This is not a portable device and you will need room to set this up and will need a unit to put it on. You may have to buy Microsoft Office software, check before you buy. You can connect to the Internet by Wi Fi and Broadband. As for playing games this may be the better option as monitor screens can be larger to view and you will have a mouse to operate the players. If you choose to buy the Apple Mac PC you will find that this is not compatible with Microsoft software (they are rivals after all) there is an office package available but this is very expensive, you can however install free software apps from the Internet http://www.openoffice.org/. In Conclusion I have researched all of the different computers available on the market and have created this simple guide to help you decide which computer would suit you best. When researching information on the best selling computers 2013 I found information on these websites; http://computers.toptenreviews.com/home/ has reviewed home computers and found that the Acer Predator G3 was the best out of those they reviewed. http://www.stuff.tv/laptops/top-ten has the MacBook Air as the best laptop you can buy, as this is one of the most expensive on the market it is not one that you would buy as your first laptop unless it was for a business. http://www.t3.com/features/new-ipad-alternatives lists the LG G pad as the best Android tablet on the market and http://blog.laptopmag.com/top-5-tablets-to-buy-avoid lists the iPad Air best overall tablet to buy. My Opinion After reviewing the different computers available, my choice would be to buy a Laptop windows computer; this is because they are overall very diverse. I would recommend this laptop; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-15-6-inch-Celeron-ProcessorGraphics/dp/B00C20KMU4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381927925&sr=8-1&keywords=samsung+laptop for its price and specs. As a few final tips, make sure that you are not impeding on your budgets when you choose the right computer for you, remember to take into account that on the tablets you cannot use a mouse/keyboard. If you’d like to find more tips on buying a desktop pc, take a look at this link http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/best-computer-how-to-choose-the-right-one-935053 6