Simple Computer Shopping Info for the Non-Geek

The top 5 phone calls any geek receives are the following:

Hey, my computer’s broken. Help me.
Hey, my internet’s not working. Help me.
Hey, my computer says I don’t have enough Javas. Help me.
Hey, I’m buying a new computer. Help me.
Hey, my computer’s broken. Help me.

Busy social life we have, right?
Anywho, in this particular post, I will be helping you out with item 4. I’ll have to save the tutorial on getting more “Javas” for another day.

Note: If this post proves useful, leave a comment. Or, if there are some questions about another item that you want to know about, drop me an email at DavidJGranado@gmail.com I plan on updating this periodically based on evolving technology and your feedback.

Simplifying the complicated answer

Similar to buying a car, there are a large number of things to consider. But, for the most part, unless you’re car freak, you really don’t care if it’s a dual overhead cam or what company manufactured the flywheel. There are just some simple, high level requirements that you keep in mind. These are the important things such as 4 wheels, no dead guys named Vinnie in the trunk, and fuzzy dice.

So what are the simple things to look for in a computer? From a general user’s point of view, there are two, high level requirements: it has enough storage space for our requirements and it runs fast.

Storage Space

A computer’s storage space is determined by your hard drive.

What is a hard drive?
A hard drive is where all your programs, music, and other files are stored. Every file and program occupies a different amount of space here. As of now, this size is measured in gigabytes (GB).

How much space is enough?

Over the years, you have probably heard insert prefix herebyte words thrown about. The units are your standard number fare:

A gigabyte is roughly 1000 megabytes (MB)

A megabyte is roughly 1000 kilobytes (KB)

A kilobyte is roughly 1000 bytes (B)

To bring thes unit into perspective, Windows Vista alone (your likely default operating system) will occupy about 15GB of space, a music file will take about 5 MB, and a document running a few pages in Microsoft word will take a few hundred KB.

If you do not plan on downloading very much, then you can do alright with about 150GB. Otherwise, you will probably want to look for 250GB+.

Speed

The two largest factors that determine how smoothly a computer runs are the CPU and RAM.

What’s a CPU?
The CPU (central processing unit or processor) is the brain of the computer. Every instruction that is executed runs though here. The number of instructions the CPU can process per second is measured in gigahertz (GHz).

How fast is fast?
Obviously, we want a higher number here. But how high? That really depends on your requirements. I’m assuming that since you’re reading this, you are not planning on buying a hardcore gaming rig. You simply need something for internet, email, office applications, and maybe a little music and other media. These are very simple tasks that won’t require a computer with a price tag of $2,000 and a kidney.

As of this writing, anything above 2GHz is more than enough to hold you over for quite a while.

One other important CPU feature to consider is a multi core. This just means that the CPU is actually more than one brain acting together as one. As of now, the most common is the “dual core” with the “quad cores” rising in popularity. I would recommend not wasting your money on a cheaper single core computer, because the small extra that you invest in a dual core will more than pay off in the extended longevity of your system.

What is Ram?
RAM (random access memory), in it’s most simple terms, is where the computer stores data with which the computer needs to work. This, like the hard drive space, is measured in GB.

Imagine you’re an office worker. Think of your filing cabinet as your hard drive. In order for you to get to work, you find the file in your cabinet that you need, sit down, and organze the papers on your desk.

Now imagine having a tiny desktop. If you have only a small space to work with, then you will only be able to bring out a small number of files at one time. You’ll constantly be stopping, getting up, and going back to your file cabinet and exchanging files. The more desk space you have, the more relevant files you will be able to pull out and have within arms reach. This desktop space is your RAM. The can be accessed incredibly fast in relation to reading the hard drive.

Zzzz…huh? Oh, you’re done? Yeah. Yeah. How much RAM do I need?
For a basic system, you can do fine with 2GBs. Short, snappy, and to the point.

Quick recap

Once again, these are the specifications of a machine that will be more than enough for your requirements as a general user. Anything beyond these numbers is just icing on the cake, provided you’re not paying an arm and leg.

Hard Drive: 150 – 250 GB
CPU: 2GHz/Dual core
RAM: 2GB