Buying a Computer
Where do I start?

So you want to buy a computer ? (Buying a Computer, Part 1)

Customers, friends and relations are always asking me what computer to buy.
Before I have even time to reply, they proceed to give me the following details:

“I saw an advert for a Dell PC for only £200.00”

“My next door neighbour just bought this really nice laptop”

“My current PC is 2 years old and now really slow”

Slow down.
I would estimate 80% of the computer functions available on the latest PC will never be used by average household or business, it’s such a waste.
Would you buy a house with 5 bedrooms and only use one of them? probably not. Well the majority of computer users are buying machines with far more functionality than required just because their friend, or Mrs.Smith next door purchased the same Computer.

Q: Well OK, Where do I start?

Answer: Get a sheet of paper and write down the main reasons you want a computer:
.Do you want to access the internet?
Is it an email account you need?
Do you need to write letters?
Will you use your computer to download pictures from your camera for printing?
Do you want to download music and make CD”s or listen to it with your IPOD (a personal or sometimes impersonal music player)?
Are you planning to do your accounts?
Do you want to make and/or edit your own videos?
Are you going to use a computer for your business?
Do you want to talk to or see friends, family or business associates via the internet?


In truth the list could be endless, and you will need to be realistic, unless you have an unlimited budget. Try to identify your main requirements. The most popular are accessing the Internet, Email and Word Processing.

Once you know what you really want the computer for, you can work out what machine and software you need to purchase.

Below are a couple of definitions to help you decide what you need to purchase:-

Type: Desktop, Laptop, Tablet, Chromebook (What is the difference?)

Hardware – the computer parts, screen, mouse, keyboard, printer, scanner, monitor, memory (RAM), processor, CPU (Central Processing Unit)

Operating System: Windows, Macintosh, Linux, UNIX, IOS, Android

Software – the programs which make the computer work, Word processor (Word, works), Email (Outlook, Outlook Express, Webmail), spreadsheet (Excel, Works, Lotus), Browser (Internet Exporer, Firefox, Netscape, database (Access, Works, MySQL)., database (Access, Works, MySQL).