Important Things To Know Before Buy a Computer

 

Budget

All of us need to buy best products at minimum cost. So, first of all, you have to consider about the maximum amount of money that you can afford for a computer and you have to build or buy a computer within that budget.

Consider what are your requirements

Now consider why do you need a computer? For what purposes? Consider and analyze your minimum requirements. E.g.:- A Compny may need a system which has networking ability to share data and resources and for communication, they may need to run special software to prepare bills, and to collect payments, planning, researching and carry out feasibility studies etc. Then decide what type of a computer mostly suitable for your requirements and also simply decide its hardware and software components and peripheral devices that you need. E.g.:- Desktop computer or a laptop computer, brand of the computer and warranty, Using Open source or Paid version software, Application packages like MS office, Libre office, hardware parts like NIC, Graphic cards, peripherals like Printers, scanners etc.

The Processor

It defines how many instructions can be performed within a second. Most modern processor’s speed is measured by GHz (Gigahertz). If that number is bigger, then it is much better. There are cores inside a processor and they act as a multiplier of speed. (E.g.:- a single-core 2GHz processor is a lot slower than a four-core 2GHz processor). If there are multiple cores it will help for multi-tasking. Before buying a processor you should consider the number of cores, threads, Speed and the Cache memory and compare them to identify the most suitable one. E.g.:- Intel Processors or AMD processors.

RAM

Random Access Memory is also an important part of a computer. Multitasking ability of a computer also depends with RAM size. Nowadays RAMs are measured by Gigabytes. E.g.:- 4GB, 8GB. And Modern motherboards are created for DDR 4 RAMs. They are much faster than older ones. Other than that you have to consider about RAM speed. E.g.:- 2400 MHz, 3600 MHz and so on. But you have to match it to the motherboard & the processor allowed RAM speed. Otherwise, you are wasting your money without no reason. 

Hard Drive

To store information on permanent basis computer should have a Hard disk. Nowadays hard disks can be found in sizes of Gigabytes and Terabytes. E.g.:- 500GB, 1TB. If the size is high you can store more data. The operating system, different applications, games, music and other things can be stored on a hard drive. When you are working those data will lode to RAM. Nowadays you can find a new kind of Hard disks called SSD (Solid State Drive) & M.2. Unlike traditional old hard drives, you can’t find platters and head inside SSD. They use flash memories to store data. So SSDs are extremely fast. But the price is also very high. In Sri Lanka 120GB size SSD is about LKR 5500.00. Also, you can buy 2TB size normal hard disk at the same price. I have seen some manufacturers use a small size SSD only to install the operating system and connect another bigger size normal hard disk to store other data. The reason for that is working speed of O/S is very high in SSD as they use flash memories and higher cost is another reason to use the small size of SSD. In order to store more data, they use the normal hard disk.

Graphics

You should be able to decide what kind of graphics suitable for your requirement. We can find computers with integrated graphics and also dedicated graphics. So you should have a good idea about these integrated and dedicated graphics. Integrated graphics processing unit doesn’t use its own RAM. It uses System’s RAM. E.g.:- If you have a RAM card about 4GB, normally the integrated graphics processing unit uses about 5% of that ram or lower amount for graphics processing. That percentage depends on the size of your task. When you are playing games or multitasking that percentage will rises. Integrated unit is much cheaper than a separated one, consume less power, generate low heat and if you are using a laptop it improves the battery life. This type graphic unit is suitable for general purpose use (to do normal daily activities). 

Dedicated graphics processing units use its own RAM (video RAM).it means they don’t touch system’s memory to perform graphics. These type of video cards are much suitable for works like designing graphics, gaming etc. (works that need best visual experience). When you are buying dedicated video card you should have a good cooling system on your computer. As they are warm highly when processing graphics. They use high power. If your laptop has a dedicated GPU then it will lower your battery lifetime. 

Software

There two types of system software and application software. You can find both paid versions and open source software for both types. Systems software Consist with Operating systems and utility software. E.g.:- Windows 8, Windows 10, Ubuntu, CentOS and tools like disk defragmentation, Encryption etc. paid operating systems are high costs. Anyway now you can download and install Windows 10 OS freely from this web site - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 and buy a key from ebay, amazon and other online marketing businesses at a very low price. Instead of paying a money for Operating systems or keys you can freely try, open source operating systems like Ubuntu, Fedora, Solus etc. Remember to get an OS which is recommended for your computer system specifications. And also for Application software you have to consider about which applications you need, how you are going to get them (paid or open source), is it recommended for your system etc. E.g.:- in Sri Lanka MS office 365 professional plus costs about Rs.12, 000. Also I need to remind you to buy a better Antivirus program to protect your system from viruses, worms, adware etc. you can use a website like - https://www.av-test.org/en/?r=1 to choose a better antivirus program that suitable for your system.

Brand name and Warranty

Always try to buy products with popular brand names. However, you have to compare the products of those companies. Then the warranty, try to buy parts which have a long warranty period. I think long warranty period is a sign of a quality product.

Important

You can assemble a computer by checking and connecting each and every component carefully by yourself. It is suitable when you are trying to build 1 or 2 computers. But when it comes to the corporate environment it differs. if there are lots of users so you can’t practically assemble computers one by one for each user. Actually, you can do it but takes more money, effort and time etc. so the best way is to buy a full set desktop computers from a branded company. It will include all hardware components and sometimes it includes operating systems, Antivirus software, and some other applications. However, you should compare different desktop computers with their features before buying a one.

 Before buy a computer, It is important that you do a comparison like below,;