Sarasota PC Monitor
Tech Talk (06/04)
What Do I Need in My New Computer?
by Brian K. Lewis, Ph.D.*
Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc.It's a very common question. Should I upgrade my current system, should I buy a new desktop system or should I buy a portable computer? The first part of the question is relatively easy to answer if your current system is running anything other than Window XP or Windows 2000. Get a new computer! Upgrading an older system to run XP is very likely to be much more expensive than buying a new system. This is simply because of the major changes that have occurred in hardware configurations. For example, you now have serial ATA hard drives, DDR RAM memory, USB 2.0 ports, DVD writers and more. Trying to configure an older system with this and a new, faster central processor can be a very expensive proposition as you have to start with a new motherboard. That means new RAM, new CPU, new hard drives, possibly a new case. So you might as well get a new computer with a complete warranty.
So now you want that new computer, right? How do you decide among all the possible options? Basically, you need to list the things you want to use the computer to do now and in the foreseeable future. You also need to consider whether or not you need a computer that you can easily transfer from one location to another. That gets us into the argument between a desktop system and a portable or laptop system.
If you travel between two or more locations throughout the year, you might want to seriously consider a laptop as your main computer. A few years ago, that might not have been true. But in today's marketplace you can find laptops with all the power and accessories of a desktop system. Now such a system won't weigh in at 2-4 pounds. It is much more likely to be 7-8 pounds by the time you include system CD's, external mouse and other accessories. However, compare that to moving a desktop system with tower, CRT or LCD monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. That can run 50-75 pounds. And the desktop system has to be packed carefully, as it is not designed to withstand the shocks that can occur during a move. Laptops are built with mobility in mind.
There is another consideration, ease of repair. A desktop system can be repaired by almost any computer facility or computer savvy individual. Laptops are much harder to repair. If you have ever opened up a laptop and tried to identify components you have some idea of what I am talking about. Another problem is that parts are frequently available only through an authorized dealer or service center. So if you consider purchasing a laptop, and expect to do some traveling, you need to have some idea as to the availability of service centers.
Laptop computers are quite prone to theft. If you travel you need to be certain that you have a means of securing your computer. Laptops are frequently stolen out of locked cars in situations where they were visible from the outside.
Now with all that said, what's the next step? What are you going to use this computer for? If your primary use is e-mail and maybe some word processing, then just about any low-priced computer will fill the bill. If you plan on using a digital camera, video cam, and photo manipulation, music, and/or graphics software then you definitely want a fast processor, lots of RAM, fast hard drives, USB ports and possibly a FireWirer port. Since it is not possible for me to determine all the possible uses someone might have for their computer, let's just take a look at some of the hardware possibilities.
First of all, let's consider the central processor (CPU). For personal computers you have the Intel family of processors or the AMD family. Within the Intel family you have the Celeron, the Pentium M for portables and the Pentium IV. Even for a laptop youshould be looking for a processor in the 2.5 - 3.0 GHz range. Most of the lower priced systems are using 1.0 - 1.6 GHz Celeron processors. I certainly would not consider anything in this range unless price was the overriding consideration.
Next, I would combine this CPU with 512 MB of DDR RAM. You can find new systems with 256 to over 1GB of RAM in both laptop and desktop configurations. I really don't recommend less for any system running Windows XP. If you normally have multiple programs running at the same time, then you might want to consider more RAM than 512 MB, but it is a good starting point.
The next consideration is the video screen. Laptop screens can be a real problem under some lighting conditions. You need to consider the contrast ratio as well as the size of the screen. The same applies if you are thinking about an LCD monitor for a desktop. Laptop screens range from 12" to 17". Desktop LCD's or CRT's range from 15" to 21", more if you are willing to pay the price. Just remember that a 17" CRT has an actual size of less than 16" inches, measured diagonally. A 17" LCD usually measures 17" and that really increases the total area of the screen (289 sq. in. vs. 252). Of course, the larger the screen on the laptop, the more room it takes and the greater the weight. If you select a 15" screen on a laptop you have a good compromise in size and weight. It also compares favorably with a 17" CRT.
Now that you have your screen selected you need to consider the video card which controls the output to the screen. This is probably the most important component of your video system. Many systems today are being sold with "integrated" video cards that share memory with the main RAM. That's fine if you have little or no need for high-speed graphics. Otherwise, you want to look for a system that has dedicated video RAM of 32-64 MB. On a desktop, a separate video card can be easily replaced if needed, not so for the integrated video. It is built into the motherboard. If you do have integrated video, be certain it can be disabled if it fails so you can install a separate card as a replacement.
One last major component: the hard drive. Most of the laptops I see advertised have drives with 30 or 40 GB drives. Depending on how you use your system you may want to look for drives in the 60 - 80 GB range. On a desktop you can get drives that are more than 100 GB in size and I would suggest looking for Serial ATA drives if you need a big fast hard drive. Just always keep in mind that you also need some system for backing up the hard drive. You can use a combination of an external hard drive and a DVD burner to backup the important files. All of my downloaded software and software upgrades are burned to a DVD-RW as are data files. Then, if I have to use the system restore CD, I have everything else available to restore after the system is running again. On a desktop, you can always use a second hard drive for backup purposes.
There are a number of auxiliary items that you might or might not need. Laptops and desktops are configured with two to four USB 2.0 ports. Some laptops also have an IEEE 1394 (FireWire) port, PC card slots, Ethernet port, SD card slot, and built-in Wi-Fi. You should also consider whether you have a need for a 56K modem, parallel port and a floppy drive. Many laptops are eliminating the floppy drive to save weight. And, you should consider a DVD/CD combination burner.
There are other components you can put on your hardware list. For example, a sound system, a definite requirement if you listen to music on your computer. The speakers on laptops certainly don't deliver high fidelity. However, some laptops do have special sound output for external speakers or headphones that do deliver high fidelity.
Another consideration is the mouse. You have choices of optical or wireless mice or just the built-in touch pad or pointer found in laptops. Even with a laptop you should consider a good external mouse. The optical variety wired or wireless, are a great improvement over the older mouse with the rolling ball.
Now, I can hear some of the comments. Any laptop with all those bells and whistles obviously has to cost multi-bucks. Well, I grant you a system like this isn't cheap, but you can find them priced in the $1500-$1600 range. That places it close to the price of a desktop with similar equipment. Yes, you do pay more for portability, but if you check out the available systems, it's not a lot more.
With this as the basic information, I hope you can design a system that you will be happy with when the time comes to replace that "old clunker". Just one last comment. If you don't opt for a preinstalled Linux operating system on your new computer, select Windows XP professional. It networks more easily. With cable or DSL connections, you will have fewer complications in connecting to the Internet. Overall, I certainly prefer it to the Home edition :
*Dr. Lewis is a former university & medical school professor. He has been working with personal computers for more than thirty years. He can be reached via e-mail at bwsail@yahoo.com.
Copyright 2004. This article is from the June 2004 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For further information about our group, email: admin@spcug.org/ Web: http://www.spcug.org/The Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc. has 1,100+ members and was established in 1982. We are members of the Assoc. of PC User Groups (APCUG), the Florida Assoc. of PC Users Groups, Inc., and we are members of the America Online Ambassador Program.
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