Your Dream Machine - selecting and purchasing a personal computer - Buyers Guide

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, June, 2001 by Michael J. Martinez

The need for voluminous hard drives has become crucial. Cheap computers start at about 10 GB of storage--equal to a stack of 7,112 floppy disks. But that only suffices for basic applications. Music and video files take up at least 5 megabytes of space per five-minute song or 30-second video clip, and complex programs such as Microsoft Office can eat up nearly half a gigabyte of memory.

Townsend decided on an 18 GB hard drive for his graphics files--but you may want that capacity for music downloads and games. He also ordered a graphics card with 64 MB of video RAM. That will add a minimum of $300 to the price of your computer (and can run up to more than $1,600), but it will give you the highest-quality video for your games, DVDs and Internet video clips. Townsend's computer also came with a CD-RW (read-write) drive for saving his animations onto CD--which you could use to save those big music files. If the computer you're looking at doesn't come with CD-RW, expect to pay $50 to $75 to upgrade. All told, his price tag topped $4,000.

Bigger still. Your computer should have some expandability: at least two universal serial bus (USB) ports and at least two peripheral component Interconnect (PCI) slots inside the box. The computer industry has agreed on the USB standard for nearly every imaginable device that can be plugged into a computer, so for the time being, every new technology for your computer will use a USB port. Your computer's performance is enhanced by PCI devices, which include such components as modems, game cards and sometimes video cards. Unfortunately, most of the USB and PCI slots are already occupied on some new PCs. Make sure the machine you buy has a couple of each left for you.

If you want to replace your TV, you can buy a TV-tuner card. This card, which goes into a PCI slot, has a standard plug for your home cable. For anywhere from $50 to $400--although most tuner cards cost $75 to $100--you might never have to buy another TV.

Money matters

ONCE YOU know what you want, decide what you can afford. Starting with a limit is a good idea for any buyer, lest you be pressured into buying expensive features you don't need.

Many consumers wonder if they should spend more for something newer, or wait a few months for the latest technology to fall into their price range. But with technology constantly improving, the money you spend will probably extend the life of your computer only by months, and waiting will bring even more innovations tantalizingly just out of reach. Just assume you'll experience some buyer's remorse, bite the bullet, and buy.

Make a list of the hardware and software that comes with your purchase, along with the company's service and support plans. These factors can make the difference between an affordable computer and a real value.

For example, Dell bundles some models with software that allows your desktop to load information into certain cell phones--great for keeping your address book handy. Gateway bundles a suite of phone tools for Internet telephony and faxing, and also includes software that allows parents to screen Web sites visited by their kids. The vast majority of computers come with Microsoft Works, which includes basic versions of Word, Excel, Money and other Microsoft titles. An extra $100 to $200 buys the Microsoft Office suite, which has full versions of Word, Extel and Money, plus Outlook (e-mail) and PowerPoint (presentations).