|
southern MN | Business class machine, they cost an extra $100 but they have marginally better components and are not preloaded with as much bloatware (advertising) software.
The trick is to get the right matching components to make a good system.
Some will advertise a screaming fast processor, but cut corners in other areas, poor video card, poor hard drive, slow buss, or some such. So you buy the much faster processor; but the whole computer is throttled back and slow because of a poor hard drive......
Desktop or laptop?
I’m familiar with shopping online and look at the Dell and the HP web sites and I look at their business class machines and compare models and deals.
Have t looked in a while, but both would show 3-5 models across the screen and compare features.
Buying a machine with average or above components across the line will probably outperform the ‘cheap’ model they advertise with one fast component on it.
Processor is the brains of the machine, the cheap processors are brain dead, some don’t have a math processor on them (used to be called Celeron, they might have a new phrase for them) so the processor has to work twice as hard to create its own math. Ugh.
Hard drive, most are big enough, but they run at different speeds, faster is better. The new solid state hard drives have no moving parts, they are super fast but tend to be pretty small or rather expensive. They can be worth it.
Memory, you don’t need the most offered, but probably get into the second level of what they are offering in machines today. The trouble is people have gotten lazy writing code so programs keep getting ever bigger and need more room. Then add in all the anti virus software, every month there is more viruses to check for so the antivirus software takes more and more computer power away from you as it has to look for more and more stuff.....
Video processor, some the main processor ha does the video, so every 1/30 of a second your processor has to stop what it’s doing and draw the picture you see. Slows your computer way down. There are cheaper and very expensive video cards that draw the pictures on their own, so the main processor can just keep working on your problems without interruption.
Some of the basics to compare, its not that hard but there are a lot of little bits that interact and it’s better to shop for a good match of components than just shop real cheap or real expensive.....
Paul | |
|
What computer to buy?
