Pitfalls of plugging into the PC circuit

By CHRIS BARTON

Buying a PC is a mugs' game. Unlike any other electrical appliance I know, the PC dwells in a state of perpetual makeover - always enticing its owner to apply new software or add bits of hardware with promises of more, faster, better, smoother ...

The moment you buy you're already on the slippery slope to obsolescence. Suddenly your PC hasn't got enough memory. Or it's got the wrong graphics card. Or not enough slots or ports to connect a new device. Worse, it runs out of storage space or out of grunt - running your applications so slowly you can make a cup of coffee between keystrokes.

Welcome to the upgrade treadmill - something every PC buyer climbs upon whether they like it or not. Sometimes upgrade means buy a new model. If you're lucky, it means add extra memory, storage or expansion cards. But in both cases, it means pay more money.

I've owned and upgraded to just about every generation of PC that's come on the market in the 17 or so years I've been using them: XT, 286, 386, 486, Pentium and just lately Pentium III. (I managed to bypass the Pentium II era and haven't entered the Pentium IV world yet.)

The amount of money I've spent over the years doesn't bear thinking about, but I do - like the $4000 I spent back in 1993 on a state of the art 486, and the $1000 I spent a few years later adding another hard drive and some memory. And then a few years later there was some more memory, a new screen and a change to a Pentium motherboard - another $600. Not to mention all the software I upgraded over the same period.

So why do I do it? Because the PC is so versatile - you can write, print, draw, organise, communicate, play, teach, surf the net - and much more.

But I do resent its cost, that it dates so quickly and that after all these years it's still a pig to use. In August this year the PC will celebrate its twentieth birthday. You'd think by that age it would be a mature, stable and friendly appliance. No such luck. The machine still doesn't immediately start when I press the "on" button. And Intel, Microsoft and their ilk keep churning out newer, faster, better. Sometimes I think these regular upgrades are just a cunning plan to strip my pockets on a regular basis.

So what's a poor consumer to do? You can lessen the pain by choosing carefully. At least that's the theory. I'd like to think I've learned a few things in my 17 years of PC purchases. But my last buy - the 486 that became a Pentium upgrade - wasn't terribly astute. How was I to know Windows would become such a memory and disk hog? And that expansion bus standards would change so dramatically? Why would anyone want to know such things?

With that in mind here's my 10 tips on buying a desktop Windows PC.

Start with a budget


Over the years I've found there are two price points to aim for - $2000 or $3000. The former will get you a basic machine that's likely to need some upgrading in two to three years. The latter should get you a machine that lasts a bit longer.

Research online


If you've never bought a PC before, get on the net - at a friend's place, a cybercafe or a library. There's a good online buying guide at ZD net. Here you'll get an understanding of the components in a PC. You'll also wonder why they have such ridiculous names.

Go to an online configurator


No, it's not some high-tech torture rack but a way of listing and choosing a PC's components. You can make a selection and see what effect your choices have on final cost. You'll also be shown how the art of buying a PC is always in the compromise - sacrificing a little of the faster, better, smoother for a lower price. There are some good local configurators at the PC Company, Dell and gw2k.co.nz.

Don't pick the fastest processor on the block


- unless money is no object. Top of the line microprocessors, also known as chips - essentially the brains of your PC - always cost an arm and leg. You want the fastest your money can buy - and the best buying is always one generation back from the top of the line. At present that means an Intel Pentium III running at a speed of between 800MHz - 900MHz (megahertz). Or an AMD Athlon running at around 1000MHz. But this buying point changes very rapidly. In about nine months Intel will probably start phasing out Pentium IIIs and early model Pentium IVs will probably be good buying.

Buy double the amount of memory shown in advertisements


There's an unwritten law of PCs which says new software will always want more memory than you've got. So if you want your PC to last get more than you need. It helps the machine run faster too.

How much do you need? My pick at present is 256Mb (megabytes). I know it sounds a lot, but in a few years people will be talking 512Mb without batting an eyelid. Memory is something you can add later so if your budget doesn't extend to 256Mb try not to go less than 128Mb and make sure it can be upgraded.

Buy the biggest disk you can afford


It doesn't matter how much storage you have, you'll always fill up the space. So think big. At the moment 10Gb (gigabytes) sounds whopping - but I'd be trying to get 20 or 30Gb. If you can't afford that much, you can also add more disk space later - as long as your machine has a vacant disk drive bay.

Backup, backup, backup


- also known as the first rule of using a PC. This means having a way to make a copy of all the valuable information you've stored on your humongous disk drive. It's an especially valuable thing to have when your PC crashes or throws a fit and somehow destroys your life's work. Th most common backup media are Zip drives and CD writers. I favour the latter - because the CD (compact disk) medium is so universal. Since you'll be getting a CD-Rom drive anyway - to load software and play CD-Roms - paying a little more to get one that can write makes sense. You also get the bonus of being able to make your own audio CDs.

Have room to expand


Generally this means buying a vertically standing, tower-case PC. I know they look ugly, but they have more spare slots and drive bays inside - which means you can add stuff later. One of these slots, or a port (plug holes at the back of your PC) will be filled by a modem to connect to the net - the number one reason to buy a PC in the first place. All dial-up modems these days run at 56Kbps (kilobits per second), but you'll want extra slots and ports if you want high speed net access or want to attach a scanner, digital camera or other device. An extra drive bay also allows you to add a DVD drive - so you can play DVD (digital video disk) movies on your PC.

Don't skimp on the screen
- or the graphics card that drives it. A good screen, also known as a monitor, makes all the difference to your PC enjoyment -not to mention the health of your eyes. The minimum you should be thinking is a 17in. screen and a graphics card with about 16Mb of memory. Similarly, if you like good sound get good speakers and a good sound card to drive them. Many lower cost PCs come with the sound and graphics card integrated on the PC's main circuit board (motherboard). This is more than adequate for a lot of uses, but if you want more speed and better quality, you'll pay more.

Shop around


- and look carefully at the "bundled" or "package" deals. These contain important extras, like the software that will come preloaded on your PC. Often the package will include a printer and scanner - must haves for any PC user.

What's great about the net is that you can comparison shop from home - at the configurator sites mentioned and at sites such as Computer City and Dick Smith Electronics.

Links:


ZD Net

PC Company

Dell

gw2k

Computer City

Dick Smith Electronics