At FindElectricals we want to help you find your perfect computer, whether you want a Desktop PC or Laptop/Notebook. There are now lots of ready built PCs to choose from as well as Laptops, which have now come down in price and risen in popularity and are a real alternative to a desktop PC. So if you don't know what PC to buy then read through our simple PC guide and then start looking for the best price for your new PC.
Desktop PCs
Desktop PCs are still as popular as ever and new technologies keep emerging with the speeds of the computers increasing all the time, e.g. dual core and quad core computers. Pre-built PCs are widely available from a wide range of manufacturers including Fujitsu, Sony, HP and Dell. There are also other major specialist PC retailers on the internet such as PC World, Misco, Novatech, Micro Direct, Dabs and Dell.
When purchasing a PC it is always better to spend as much as you can afford to get the better PC, although this really depends on what you will be doing with the PC, as if you are just going to surf the internet and write the occasional email and document then you don't need a very fast PC. On the other hand if you want to manipulate images, edit video and play the latest games you are going to require a fast PC with lots of RAM and a good graphics card.
Look for the following in any new PC:
- 1GB RAM
- Core Duo CPU
- 800Mhz or 1066Mhz Motherboard
- 128MB+ Graphics Card
- SATA I or SATA II Hard Drives of at least 120GB in size
- Windows Vista Home or Vista Premium
- DVD Writer
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Laptops
Laptops are getting cheaper and cheaper, so there is no need to pay £1,000 for a laptop anymore - unless you want the latest laptops, instead look to pay around £500 for a laptop, for this price you should get everything you need to play the odd game, and surf the web wirelessly etc.
There are several areas to consider when purchasing a laptop, mainly the battery life and the weight of the laptop are really important if your laptop is going to leave your house. Some manufacturers try and sell you a larger screen size, but a 15" size is fine, because larger screen sizes make the laptop weigh more and they take more battery to power them.
Your laptop should also come with wireless capability so you can surf the internet without wires. Most laptops will also come at least with a CD re-writer or with a DVD re-writer. Hard drives is laptops are usually smaller than their desktop counterparts but a size of around 80GB is good, and you can always upgrade the size later on.
As much RAM as possible is desirable, at a minimum you really want 512MB RAM in a laptop, most laptops allow you to install another RAM chip alongside the one you already have in the laptop, they are also really easy to fit, just make sure you purchase the correct SODIMM ram chip.
Look for laptops and notebooks from well known computer manufacturers including Toshiba, Apple, Dell, HP, Compaq, and Sony.
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