Complete Systems Design Information Technology Solutions

November 23, 2011

As many people buy their family a new PC for the holidays or a new PC for the office before the end of the annual budget, I am often asked what features on a computer they should get.   You might get a “deal” on Black Friday or cyber Monday from your local appliance/electronics store that haunts you for the next three years if you don’t take time to figure out what you want.

Most major hardware vendors, Dell, HP, etc will custom make your PC so you don’t need to buy things you don’t want and so you can concentrate on features you do want. Some people will say this is overkill but since I spend most of the time answering questions like – “I just bought my PC why is it so slow?” or “My computers only 6 months old, why can’t it play this game?” or “Why does it take so long just to boot?” Just because a PC is new, doesn’t mean it can do everything or do things well. You can buy a pair of scissors for $10- that doesn’t mean they are suited to mow your lawn. Most people tend to think I’ll only use this for browsing the web and then soon find themselves using their computer for a great deal of things.

PCs are almost always faster and cheaper than laptops. A $1500 PC is usually faster for many things than a $3,000 laptop. There is a laptop buying guide as well but many of the same ideas hold true for each.

To be clear, the ads you see in your Sunday paper for your local electronics/appliance store are often selling vastly underpowered systems with trial software which expires in 60 days and software is not cheap – so you may say to yourself but it is only $400 for a new PC at this store – yes and a bicycle is much cheaper than a Honda Accord.  A good PC goes for about $1200 with a good monitor and the software you need (Office, Antivirus etc.)

My default PC for most home users and office users would be the Dell Vostro 460.    Without any monitor or software, it goes for about $750 when properly equipped with an i7 2600k, 4GB of RAM, a 512GB hard drive, and a standard keyboard an mouse.  You'd want something with a much better video card and power supply for heavy duty gaming but other than that it is an excellent long term solution for most people.  

• Operating System – Windows 7 is hands down a great choice. If you are going to use it to connect with your work, get Windows 7 Pro – it allows you to join a domain and remote desktop for support. If you are using it primarily for home use, Windows 7 Home is probably fine. I would definitely get the 64 bit edition as you’ll want to get 4 Gigs of memory and X64 lets you take advantage of all of it.

• CPU –i7 – i7 if possible (don’t waste your time on an i3 or an i5). I’d get a 3.4 GHz i7 2600k. It is a quad core and should cover you for just about anything for the next few years.  If you do a lot of video editing you might want to get a 6 core Intel processor.

• Memory – 4 GIGs for most people would be a fine, 6 or more GBs for people playing cutting edge games, video editing, picture editing.

• Video Card – I would recommend a MINIMUM of a 512 MB memory card for anyone. For gamers, I’d recommend a fast video card with 1 to 2 GB of memory such as an ATI 6870 or 6870x2, an nVidia 70x2 or an nVidia 570 or 580.  I would get a nice after market model with really quite cooling such as the ones made by Gigabyte.   If you put in a heavy duty video card for gaming, you should put in a reliable, efficient and quite power supply such as an Enermax 500-600 watt power supply.

• Hard Drives – I would recommend a 500 GIG or more, 7200 RPM -  (do not get a 5400 rpm drive) hard drive with 32GB of cach. If you plan on doing a lot of video editing, or storing your movies and music on the hard drive you may want larger. Remember, a hard drive typically slows down once it is even half full so plan for future growth. You can get an SSD (solid state drive) for extremely good performance however they can be a bit of a pricey upgrade but once you have one, you’ll never want an old spindle drive again. The Samsung SSDs seem to be very dependable compared to some SSDs available from other manufacturers although not quite as fast.

• Sound card – for most the integrated sound card will do but if you are planning on playing cutting edge games or want to make your PC into a media center you may want to upgrade to a Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FI.

• Keyboard and Mouse – most people will prefer a wireless keyboard and mouse so I’d recommend the Logitech K750 keyboard.  I like the Logitech Performance Mouse MX for reliability on most surfaces and comfort.  If you don’t get a wireless keyboard and mouse to save money, the default ones that come with your PC may be good enough.

• Optical Drives – I’d recommend at least one DVD burner. It is convenient for backing up data or your video collection.

• Case – a mid tower case may give you more upgradeability than a slim case and upgrade features may be cheaper and give you a wider selection.

• Screens/Monitors – Don’t skimp on the monitor. Most people get a 20” monitor and always get excited when using someone else’s 24, 27 or 30” monitor. Chances are you’re monitor will outlast your PC so you might as well invest now in a decent one. I’d recommend a good contrast ratio. I think the Dell’s are a pretty good bang for the buck if you buy their good screens - I DON’T recommend their low end models of the same size – tend to be washed out, seem a little fuzzy and lower contrast. There are a few quality manufactures such as Apple and LaCie as well although many get them made by the same company. Some models I’d recommend considering are – the Dell ULTRASHARP 2412M, U2711, or a u3011.

• Speakers – I prefer headphones as I don’t want to disturb others and it is more enveloping if you are playing a game but if not you can buy some good quality speakers for a low price. For headphones, I’d recommend Sennheisers as they are well made and extremely comfortable. For speakers just about any vendor will sell some desktop speakers and a powered sub for between $40-$60.

• Software/Applications – chances are you want Office 2010 standard and some antivirus/firewall such as Symantec or McAfee. I would not recommend Norton protection.  Symantec is essentially the same company but Symantec Endpoints seems better in a number of ways.  Most people don’t need Office Professional which includes Access; you can probably save money by getting one of the other versions. Microsoft Works is NOT the same as Microsoft Office. If you do find yourself buying PC at a local store you’ll probably find yourself getting very upset in about 60 days (if not sooner) when the trial version of office expires. If you have a student in the house, “student pricing” is usually the best deal.  Hopefully, you can get student pricing at the college or university bookstore if it isn’t offered from your computer vendor.

• Warranty – I typically go with the standard warranty for PCs unless you live with people who might throw liquids into the PC or try to juggle it in which case accidental damage is recommended. Replacing a keyboard is usually cheaper than extended warranties for PCs. I do however highly recommend accidental coverage if you buy a laptop.

• Accessories – Good surge suppressors help you with all the devices you may plug in and help protect them. I usually get a Belkin or APC with 2500 or more joule protection, for only $20.  Get a nice fabric mousepad with a wrist rest if you prefer - $3-$12.

You can always call a rep to get the unit if you can’t find what you are looking for online. You can typically get coupon codes and links to deals by going to bensbargains.net. You typically get free shipping and other discounts just by asking.

To improve the performance of your new PC, I would remove the unnecessary software which starts at boot up. You may find that a support program, trial music software, trial finance software boots at start up. You can go to Start, control panel, programs and features. Some manufacturers offer an option get the unit without any productivity/trialware preloaded.

Your grand total for a GOOD workstation will probably be between $1000-$2000. Chances are you will have this at least 3 or 4 years so you might as well configure it right instead of cursing it within the first few months and throwing it out within 2 years regretting your purchase throughout the time you own it.

I hope you found the the 2011 PC buying guide helpful.