Personal Computer, Desired Requirements - Essay Example

He can buy a powerful computer now or buy an inexpensive computer and plan for its upgrade in the future. Some computer vendors offer leasing programs that allows upgrade of the computer every 2 to3 years. It is also worthwhile to browse the website of large computer manufacturers to see the latest technology and the price. He can also ask friends, fellow students or co-workers in similar line of work as to what computer are they using, where they bought them, if there were any problems, and whether they are happy with their choices.

One can buy a top-of-the-line model with an eye towards keeping the computer for years. Some buy the basic version of the fastest computer they can afford, and add extra memory, a sound card and speakers, a DVD drive, a larger monitor, and/or a printer over time. More sophisticated applications require faster computers, more memory, more disk space, and other resources. In general, the newer the computer, the better for the owner to take advantage of the new programs, internet resources, and the latest computing and presentation applications.

In the case of laptop computers, newer models are faster and lighter, in addition to offering better displays, more memory, and more disk storage. Be prepared to spend at least $1,000 to $2,000 for a general-purpose computer. There are desktop computers whose price range for anywhere from $400 to $10,000. One should budget for hardware and software such as Microsoft and Adobe products. Word processing and spreadsheet software can be purchased with most systems. There may also be need for other software for communications, graphics, and specialized projects.

The mostly widely used operating systems are Windows 2000 or Macintosh. Apple computers run using Macintosh. Other brands run on Windows 2000. Macintosh is easier to set up, learn, and to use because it has more easy-to-use built-in software. DOS/Windows systems are less expensive for similar processing speed. Windows 2000, together with Linux and Unix, are more flexible as it can allow multiple users to use the same computer at the same time and/or different times; capable of supporting and utilizing more than one computer processor; capable of allowing multiple software processes to run at the same time; and allow different parts of a software program to run concurrently.

The choice of the operating system and software will depend on the use of the computer - will the computer be used for basic tasks or to meet special requirements Do you intend to connect the computer to the office or school server Decide if you are better served by the PC/Windows platform or the Macintosh. Look at the system components and determine if they will suit your needs. When buying a new computer, look for a system with a Pentium 2.8 to 3.2 gigahertz (GHz) processor. The processor is considered the brain of the computer the most important part of a computer and its speed determines how quickly the processor can execute computer code.

The amount of random-access memory (RAM) or system memory is another very important part of a computer system because it has the largest influence on performance of the new operating systems. One can buy as much RAM that one can afford. At the minimum, it is preferable to buy not less that 256 megabytes (MB) or 512 MB. For a Macintosh, it should be at least 256 MB. The hard drive space required is dependent on the types of installed applications. General