There are a lot of options when looking to buy a new computer. The primary determining factor will likely be: what are you going to do with it? If you need it primarily for email, web surfing, and word processing, pretty much anything you can buy will suffice. If you need to do video editing or gaming you’ll have to dig a little deeper into the details (and wallet).

So… Mac or Windows? Laptop or Desktop? These are the highest level questions you’ll have to answer. Traditionally, you’d be told, “Windows for work, Mac for home.” That’s fine, but you might want to stay consistent. Or you might like the change. It’s largely personal preference. My experience is primarily with Windows, but for a leisure laptop I could be tempted to consider a Mac. I think I’d also look at a Mac if I expected to do a lot of creative work: graphic design, video editing, or sound editing. Alternately, I’d probably look at a Windows workstation for serious gaming or anything business related.

If you’re going with Windows, I highly recommend business users buy the business version of the OS. Vista Ultimate is a great choice, but if you’re afraid of Vista, which you shouldn’t be, XP Pro is a must. Don’t skimp and try to get a cheaper version. Vista got a bum rap early because of third-party developer support, but let it go. If you’re buying a new PC it’s time to get Vista.

Laptop vs. Desktop is just a matter of how you expect to use it. If you need the portability, go laptop. They’re frequently as powerful as desktops these days. Keep in mind how you’ll use it, though. I got a laptop with a 17″ monitor and I can’t use it on an airplane or in the car. If you know you’ll need to use it in specific situations like that, keep the logistics in mind. Also, despite how powerful they are becoming, they are still frequently not quite as powerful as workstations, so for gaming or heavy multimedia use you may want to stick with a desktop.

Who to buy from? I am a big Dell fan. I also recommend the 3 years of Gold Service to everyone I can, especially business buyers. The premium support and responsiveness is worth it when you need it. If you only use it once, you’ll be glad you had it.

There are a lot of options; RAM, CPU, hard drive capacity, RAID. Your choices will have to be application specific, but generally speaking even the most basic PC will come with enough power to do most of what you need. The one specific note I’ll add here is this – don’t get less than 1GB of RAM. It’s cheap and it’s worth it. Get 2 if you can! OR MORE!!! Seriously, RAM will provide the biggest performance boost you can find for the money in my opinion.

Mobilitechs is an IT consulting firm serving Lancaster, PA and Reading, PA. We can answer any questions related to PC purchasing and hardware as well as other computer repair services and computer performance upgrades.