What do You Want? You want a PC, do you? Well step this way. We have a HUGE selection, from Pentium Celeron 498 Zit-Cream Forceps, to larger Humpty-Dumpty, express train zing-power server-laptops!! AARRGH!!! Save me from these blathering idiots! Whenever I go into a large PC retailer in a suit, they pounce on you like vultures round today's carcass. Do you want this, that or the other? Nooo!! All I wanted was a printer lead and some cleaning disks for my DVD player. My advice is when you go to buy a PC, unless you already know exactly what you want, wear the jeans you changed the oil in your car last night, and a tee-shirt with as many stains on it as possible. Before you go into any store, check up to see how good their helpdesk is. Get this information from the Internet, or from the various publications available, and ask what the procedure is if something is missing that they say should be included. Application Think exactly what you want to do with your PC. If you want to do a few letters and keep a spreadsheet containing the accounts of the local bowls club, then you would probably get away with the cheapest deal the store has. If you are a game-head and are looking for the fastest speed available, then remortgage your house, sell your children, and be prepared to attacked by the store assistant. Managers Specials My wife and I are experts when it comes to the 'chuck-out-bucket'. These are areas of shops that are usually tucked away where items of food are sold off at half price or less when they are coming up to their sell by date, and hardware stores have the same thing where they are selling off items where the packaging is damaged, or some small part is broken or missing. When you are looking for something for yourself, don't be afraid to be the same in the PC store. Go straight to the back of the shop where the bargains can be found. I saved £300 last year by buying such a PC. As long as all the parts are there, it matters not that the packing boxes are damaged or lost. After all, these parts will be finding their way into the garden where the children will do a great job in converting it into a starship to save the world from evil invaders, before recycling it at the next bonfire night. 'Allo, 'allo, 'allo, wots all this then? Speeding, eh? Speed is important, only if you think it is. The latest P4 processors from Intel are fast compared to the older P2 processors, but take a step back. This factor could be important to the game-head, but to the average teenager doing their homework, it is not so important. Don't forget that most software was written two years ago, before the P4 was around, so why worry about having a P4 when the software runs perfectly well on a P3, after all, that is what it was written on. Plus you have the advantage that the P3 processor PC will be much cheaper than the P4. Again, go the 'chuck-out-bucket' to see what is in there. You will be surprised. Bundle it Up Many shops and mail order companies offer bundles. These are systems that come complete with a number of extra peripherals. These peripherals include: - Printer - Scanner - Digital camera - Heaps of software - Modem - Sub-bass woofer - Digital surround sound speakers - Internet account Okay, I hear you saying, that is all well and good if you don't already have these items. But what if you are just looking to upgrade your system unit? Then, here we go again, the chuck-out-bucket is your best bet. Look for a machine that has most of these things missing, and therefore will be much cheaper. I have never been tempted with these bundles since a close friend of mine spent £2,500 on a system, to have the scanner, sub-bass woofer, digital camera, and the speakers shoved into the loft, never to see the light of day. System Specification I don't believe that you would necessarily need all the extra items that come with bundles. They might look attractive, but have a look at the specification of the PC. It could have a slow processor, small graphics card, and very little memory for even basic use. The minimum specification for a PC that I would normally recommend for basic home use is: 1. Intel PIII 450 processor 2. 128Mb RAM 3. 10Gb hard drive 4. 8Mb video card 5. 56K modem 6. DVD CD drive 7. 17" monitor 8. Sound card 9. Reasonable speakers The processor (item 1) has two parts to the processor name: PIII 450. The PIII (P3) portion indicates that it is a Pentium level 3 processor. This is a very popular level and gives a lot of power to the basic and game user alike. 450 is the processors' speed. In this case, it runs at 450 megahertz, or it can process up to 450 million bits of information per second. Go to the Intel web site using the links on the right for an in-depth description of processor speeds. Item 2 is the memory size. If the PC has less than this, have it upgraded. You can do it yourself if you feel confident enough, but I would advise having the store do it to keep any warranty valid. Item 3 is the minimum size for the hard drive. 10Gb (10,000,000,000 bytes) of storage is more than enough for most users. I believe it is equivalent to about 10 Bibles. Item 4 shows the size of the video card memory. If you want to play high-speed action games, then you should have the card swapped for a 32Mb or even a 64Mb card, or have the current card upgraded. Otherwise, 8Mb is sufficient. The rest of the items are fairly self-explanatory. Choice, Choice, Choice These days, there are a huge number of manufacturers giving you a massive choice. You have to think of the circumstances the PC will be used in. If it is to form part of your business, then go for a Compaq, HP, or IBM. If it is a home PC, then you can still use the business ones, but as it is less critical, then a cheaper make could be chosen. Have a look at what you want to use it for, insist on having the specification I listed above, and then you will get a more affordable machine, and you will retain more of your hard earned cash. Chuck Out Bucket If you are going to have a manager's special, make sure that there is enough there to get the system working. These systems are usually already plugged in and working, but make sure all the keys work, that the cabinet is in good condition, and the mouse works. Have the assistant make sure that all the correct disks are available and that they are also in good condition. One more tip. As these systems are usually ex-demonstration, many sticky fingered children could have passed over the keyboard. It might be worthwhile getting the assistant to give the system a quick wipe over before it is dismantled. But the rewards will be worth it in the hundreds of pounds you will save. Ex-Demonstration There are many merits involved when going for an ex-demo system. I sell HP systems that have been out to HP customers for evaluation. These systems are sold as ex-demo, but come with a full year (and in some cases a three year) OEM warranty. The only downside is that the packing boxes could look a little ragged. But as they will end up at the bottom of a landfill, what does that matter when you save 40% on the retail price? The difference with these type of systems is that they are complete and in 100% working condition. There are some very small occasions where the system cabinet could have a small mark, or some other scratch, but otherwise they are like new. Paying for IT I purchased a really cheap PC about three years ago on a buy now, pay in 9 months deal. This was great as the business retained the £600 for 9 months extra, and I paid for it just at the point I was considering selling (I didn't sell it in the end though, it is now my email server). I would not be tempted to buy a PC over 5 years, or even 3 years. 12 months is okay, and even better if you can get it in interest free credit. Don't forget, you might want to upgrade it in 12 months anyway. Support IT See the next section (Warranties - To cover, or not to cover) to see if you should give extended warranties any thought. This is important for certain types of PC, but not for others. Taking IT Away You have now settled on the PC of YOUR choice, and have taken it back home. You set it up and start to play. Take time to check all the cables, disks, and manuals. If you have had a manager's special, then some of the manual might be missing, but you already know this when you bought it anyway. And Finally.... The best thing is though, you have fought against the shop assistant who was interested in selling you the highest specification with the phrase 'but you need this power to run modern programs' and 'of course you need all this software'. Don't forget that the 'modern' software is about two years old, with the latest releases being cosmetic changes, so the PC's being sold two years ago will comfortably run today's software. At the end of the day, don't be brow beaten into purchasing something you don't want. It will only grieve you later on and you will wish you got something cheaper.

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