What do you look for when you purchase a new computer?

Money to pay for it.

Okay well, this is what you look for.

Note: What you use a computer for will determine how much you'll spend for a computer.

For example, if you want to play games all the time. The newest games such as... erhmm call of duty or any game which requires a high performance 'Gaming computer'

In which you'll be looking at spending $1500 + (if you built it yourself) a lot more if you're buying it pre-built

If you use a computer for simple tasks such as surfing the web, typing up documents, watch videos and listening to music. A cheaper computer will a lower performance would be better suited to you.

Which you'll be looking at spending $500 - $1200 for a average day to day computer.

You also need to be looking at travel. Will you be using this computer on the go? By which I mean public transport, flights. In this case you'll need a laptop

Now, let's look at the hardware and software when buying a computer (DESKTOP COMPUTERS)

You need to look at the computer's CPU (central processing unit) this is the brain of a computer, it contains the ALU (arithmetic logic unit) which does all the math within a computer (binary arithmetic), CU (control unit) which regulates the flow of data within a computer and registers which include address register, storage register, accumulator register, instruction register and flag register.

When you look at a CPU you look at what brand it is, the two most common brands and AMD and INTEL. Personally, I'm an intel person (I'm especially a big fan of their iSeries) you then look at their Ghz. What that basically is, is the speed of your processor. The higher ghz it is, the faster it will be. However don't be fooled when it comes to AMD processors.

What else you should look for is the motherboard. When it comes to desktop computers, everything with a computer can be changed or upgraded except the motherboard so I'd like to think it is the most important piece of hardware within a tower (the result of a full case).

Most noobies look at the storage space. Personally, I don't care about storage space when it comes to buying a pre-built computer. There are ext hdd (hard disk drives) that can do the job for you. However the most popular and reliable brands I choose to go with is western digital and seagate.

So let's re-cap hardware:

CPU

Motherboard

HDD

When it comes to software, as long as the OS (operating system) is windows 7 or windows xp. You're sweet.

JIM is on the right track. First thing you need to consider is how much you want to spend versus what you need it to do. Next thing you need to consider is how much performance you need, how much portability, and what the purpose of the computer will be. If you're looking for a laptop, you may be spending a lot more for a little performance, while if you're looking for a desktop, you may be spending less and getting a lot more. For simplicity, I will assume you are looking for a full size desktop computer. If that is not what you are looking for, then please specify that next time.

If you plan to be gaming on it, you want a lot of processor/CPU power, a higher end graphics card. For movie editing, you need less graphics card power and more hard drive space and a high end CPU. If you are just looking for a computer to do occasional image editing or for surfing the web/checking email, a cheap $600 or $700 Dell will do the job well.

For all of these scenarios, you will need at least 4GB of RAM (preferably DDR3), a 64 bit processor, and Windows 7. You probably don't understand this bit, but if you go to a store and tell them that, they should know what it means.

I built my computer with gaming, 3D modeling/design, and intensive image editing in mind. Here's my specs:

AMD Phenom ii x4 965 at 3.4ghz

nVidia GTS 250 512MB

4GB DDR3 1600

1TB 7200RPM Hard Drive

I always think about, what am I going to use it for?

How much do I want to spend?

Right now, I have a Powermac G4. It does everything I need it to do like Photoshop, printing, and playing back videos for transcribing work. It was given to me, so who am I to complain?

My next purchase will either be a netbook or fullsize inexpensive laptop. All I want to do with this one is surf the 'Net at a coffee shop, or write stories while waiting for a flight. No gaming or other power-intensive applications.

Lots of people buy netbooks and expect them to run Halo and download movies. Others buy a $2,500 Alienware when all they want to do is send and receive emails.

Research the computer you want, and if at all possible, wait for bargains and sales.

This page will help you to buy a new computer. This website have explained almost everything that you need to buy a new computer: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Sheridan9.html

Here is print version: http://www.selfgrowth.com/print/519408

AND VERY IMPORTANT THING IS THAT YOU MUST KMOW FOR WHAT YOU ARE PLANED TO USE THIS COMPUTER (GAMES, PROGRAMS, WORK, etc.)

Good luck!

Big silver buttons and a case that looks like its been beamed in from the 23rd century, oh I like it to be over priced, nothing like paying more than its worth...Remember its not the sausage it the sizzle that matters..

Hard Drive Size - 320GB +

RAM - 4GB +

Graphics - 512MB + dedicated video memory

Processor - Duo Core @ 2.0GHz +

Price