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Desktop Personal Computers: Buying Building, Fixing, Upgrading, Recovering, Repairing, and Protecting Desktop PCsLast updated on 13 July 2010
How to choose a desktop PC
Windows 7 - The latest versions of Windows Click the link to read the article on this website on Windows 7, the latest versions of Windows: Install, Use, Restore, Recover and Repair Windows 7 - Win7: How It Differs from Windows XP and Vista. The system specificationsThe images above show the two standard types of desktop PC. The image on the left shows a desktop PC housed in a midi-tower case, and the image on the right shows a desktop PC with a horizontal case that the monitor can rest upon. In addition to those two types of desktop PC there are nettop PCs, which use a small form factor, allowing the case (base unit) to take up less space than a standard desktop PC, and there are all-in-one PCs that have all of their electronics built into the monitor instead of being housed in an external case. Like laptops, all-in-one desktop PCs can have very limited upgradability or hardware customisation. However, many of the current products have designed upgradability into their machines by using standard off-the-shelf components, such hard-drives, graphics cards, etc. Therefore, if you are interested in having one of these PCs and want the option to upgrade it, look into the upgradability of the product before you make a purchase, otherwise you will be stuck with its initial specifications. Here is a review of an all-in-one PC: Viewsonic VPC190 review - http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/pcs/278401/viewsonic-vpc190 Most desktop PCs only come with an internal hard disk drive and an internal CD/DVD drive (installed inside the PC's case) for data and program storage, but external hard disk drives for extra storage and external CD/DVD drives, connected externally to the desktop or laptop computer using a USB or FireWire interface, are available. They are dealt with on Page 2 and Page 3, respectively, of the Disk Drives section of this website. At the heart of every desktop or laptop PC is the processor. There iscurrently a very large and confusing selection of processors to choose from. The original desktop and laptop PC processors had a single core or processing unit, but now they are available with two, three, four and six cores (dual-core, triple-core, quad-core and hexa-core respectively) housed in a single unit. Each core is a processor (processing unit) in itself. You should therefore not buy a laptop or desktop PC that has a single-core processor; the minimum should be a dual-core processor, which has two cores or processing units. If you require as much processing power as possible to run processor-intensive software or play games, you should buy a computer that has a processor with as many cores and high-end components, such as a high-end graphics card, as you can afford. Visit the Processors and Graphics sections of this website for more information on those components. This page and others on this website provide all of the information that you need in order to be able to make sensible buying or upgrading decisions that meet your particular computing requirements. If you use the computer for work, you should always consider what you will do if the machine breaks down. I have a desktop and a laptop computer. If either one breaks down, I can use the other one. PC warranties differ. Some warranties are on-site, where a technician calls to fix it, others are collect and return that involve a courier collecting the machine for the manufacturer or supplier so that it can be repaired and returned. The time this takes will vary between manufacturers/suppliers and could take several weeks. On-site warranties are the best. You should read the terms and conditions to find out what the service guarantees are. For example, you might be guaranteed to receive a visit from a service technician within, say, three days or less. There is a relatively new type of mini desktop computer that usually does not cost more than £500 and can be purchased for half that price called a nettop, which usually combines elements to desktop and laptop PCs. Access to reviews of nettops and links to their manufacturers' websites are provided in this article. Nettop - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nettop The alternative type of computer are laptop/notebook PCs, which are dealt with in the Laptop PCs section of this site. Here is a link to an article that compares the two types. What to Buy, a Notebook or Desktop PC? - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/desktop-vs-notebook,review-30954.html
There is another much less popular category of desktop PC called a barebones PC. Computers that use SFF motherboards and small square cases are often called barebones systems. Note that a barebones system is also a term generally used to designate computers (ATX and SFF) that have only the essential components installed, such as a case (which has a power supply unit) with a motherboard. You usually have to buy and install the other components, such as the RAM memory hard disk drive, CD/DVD drive, monitor, video card and sound card, etc. You should find out which components are installed and then work out which components you'll have to buy and install before you buy a barebones system. Asus and MSI make a range of barebones PCs. To have a look at what is on offer, go to http://www.asus.com.tw/ or http://www.msi.com.tw/, choose the Global option, and look under the Products category. More than meets the Eye - Barebone PC for Quad-Core and Crossfire - "High performance, small footprint - Shuttle's SX38P2 Pro can house two graphics cards, three hard drives and a four-core processor..." - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/Shuttle-SX38P2-Pro,review-30107.html The uninterruptible power supply unit (UPS)If your electricity supply is irregular or subject to storm interference, etc., you should invest in an Uninterruptible Power Supply unit (UPS) that you plug the whole system into. The UPS is connected to the wall socket. It has batteries that it keeps fully charged, and when there is a power failure it automatically keeps the power supply to the computer running until either a person shuts it down, or the software it runs shuts the system down automatically. Click here! to go to the information on UPS on this website.
The safest way to upgrade RAM memory: Use the UK and US Crucial Memory AdvisorsPaul Mullen, who was the highly-respected computer guru of the Helpfile at ComputerShopper.co.uk - "I have recently been buying my memory only from Crucial Technology. I would rather pay the extra cost than waste time trying to track down the obscure program faults that bad memory can cause." The best way to choose RAM memory for a brand-name desktop or laptop computer, or memory for a particular make/model of PC motherboard is to make use of the Crucial Memory Advisors (provided under the brief guideline on the minimum memory requirements for Windws XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7). If the Crucial memory you receive does not work, you are guaranteed a refund and standard shipping is free. The memory requirements of the versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7Most of the versions of Windows Vista require more RAM memory to run optimally on a computer that doesn't use memory-hungry applications than Windows XP. A video-editing application is an example of memory-intensive software. Only Windows Vista Home Basic has a recommended minimum amount of memory of 512MB, which is the same amount recommended for Windows XP. Windows Vista Home Premium, the most popular version, and Windows Vista Ultimate require a recommended minimum of 1GB (1024MB) of memory, which is twice the amount of minimum memory recommended to run Windows XP. Note that if you are using a 64-bit version of Windows, up to 4.0GB, it requires twice the amount of memory as a 32-bit version, which can only use a maximum of about 3.5GB. For more information on computer memory, read the RAM pages of this site, which includes information on the lower memory requirements of Windows 7.
How to Use the Crucial Memory AdvisorFor example, if your computer has an Asus motherboard, open the menu, scroll down to ASUS, and click GO. If, say, you have a Dell computer, scroll down to DELL, and do likewise. You will be taken to the relevant information on Crucial's website. If you don't know the make and model of the motherboard installed in your computer, here is a good free utility - Belarc Advisor - that creates an analysis of the hardware and software on a personal computer. Look under FREE DOWNLOAD - http://www.belarc.com/. Another utility that also provides detailed information on the memory itself is CPU-Z. The major international desktop PC manufacturers are: HP, Dell, MSI, Gateway, Lenovo, Compaq, and Packard Bell. However, in any particular country there are local PC manufacturers of excellence. For example, in its 2007 survey of its readers in the UK, Computer Shopper magazine the following results were returned: Best PC Manufacturer: Dell Commended PC Manufacturers: PC Nextday, Mesh, Fujitsu Siemens PC Nextday and Mesh Computers are local UK PC manufacturers. In 2008, RL Supplies in the UK were awarded many Best Buy awards for desktop computers by Computer Shopper magazine (now Expert Reviews online). The magazine itself will no doubt be given the same name soon. Note that PC manufacturers, such as Dell and HP, have tended or still tend to make the components of their machines to their own specifications, not standard PC specifications. This means that in most cases you would have to buy replacement or upgrade internal components, such as motherboards and power supplies, and even monitors (that plug into the PC's power supply instead of having their own power supply) from them instead of from PC-component stores, and usually priced at a premium compared to standard components. The installation could be done at inflated prices by their technicians, or purchased directly from them and installed by the computer's owner. However, a local UK PC manufacturer, such as Mesh, uses standard components in its PC, which means that they can be upgraded and repaired using standard components that can be obtained very easily by private third-party technicians, or by the machine's owner from retail PC shops or online businesses. The great advantage of building your own desktop PCs is that you can choose the components yourself, which means that you don't have to scrap a non-upgradable system, or buy sub-standard hardware components from the brand-name manufacturer when you need to upgrade. However, Dell, one of the biggest offenders when it came to this issue, announced at the end of February 2008 that the use of proprietary parts in its desktop PCs, such as power supplies and motherboards are to be a thing of the past. Here is what an annonymous person on a computer forum had to say on the subject: "That was always my whole problem with buying anything from a major manufacturer! I came into possession of a Dell [PC] a while back, and I had to cut up the case to get a better power supply to fit. I went through hell to change the CPU cooler because the damned montherboard had a proprietary clip for the heat sink. Dell sucked! But if this is really true [Dell's abandonment of using proprietary components], I might not be as adverse to modding the hell out of a pre-configured system of theirs in the future." Building your own desktop PC is not nearly as difficult as most people probably assume. Read the Build Your Own PC section of this site for comprehensive information on the subject. You should be able to tell if the components of a Dell PC are standard or propertietary by viewing the specifications of a particular model on Dell's website. If the manufacturer of a particular component is named, then it is probably a standard part. The information on this page goes through a desktop PC's hardware specifications one at a time. The main components of a desktop PC are: a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, a processor, a power supply unit, a motherboard, one or more RAM memory modules, one or two video/graphics cards, a sound card, hard disk drive(s), and optical CD/DVD drive(s). If the PC is online and networked it might also have a dial-up modem or an ADSL or cable modem-router. A modem-router can connect a single computer to the Internet or network several computers together, using cables or wirelessly, enabling them to share an Internet connection. Apart from wired or wireless keyboards and mice, desktop PCs can also be connected to many different kinds of peripheral devices, such as external hard disk drives and external optical CD/DVD drives, printers and scanners, multi-function peripherals (MFPs) that contain a printer, copier, and scanner in one unit, webcams, digital cameras, camcorders, and internal and external TV tuners, memory card readers, etc. The most common connection interface for these devices is USB and FireWire. Note that all of the main components that make up a desktop PC are dealt with in their own sections of this site, which can be accessed via the links and the drop-down menu on the orange left-hand navigation bar - and the Google site-search box provided at the top of each page. A desktop PC with the minimum recommended hardware shouldn't cost more than £500/$1000. It should be able to run any standard office, multimedia, or education software. It should also be able to play DVD movies, but it won't be able to play the latest PC games, because it won't have the kind of graphics card that is required. Note, however, that there are different types of PCs that you should know about. Most desktop PCs currently have a standard ATX midi-tower case that provides as much space for upgrades as its motherboard supports with expansion slots, etc. You can buy mini PCs that are housed in a small case. Generally, because they use miniaturised components, mini PCs cost a little more than standard midi-tower PCs, are less upgradable, because they have very little room in their cases to accommodate additional hardware components, but they take up less space and usually look more attractive. Media Center PCs are designed for entertainment purposes and can be connected to the other entertainment equipment you have, such as a TV or a Hi-fi. By definition a Media Center PC must have a TV tuner card. You can read the information on them on the Media Center PCs section of this site.
2009 saw the arrival of the touchsceen desktop PC that has a keyboard but can be operated by touching the screen much in the same way as an Apple iPhone is operated. Here is a video review of the Asus Eee Top, which has an (low-powered) Intel Atom processor: Asus Eee Top video review from Stuff Live 2008 - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XhKKAJncjNA&feature=related You can find the latest reviews of netbooks here: http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/netbooks The brand-name PC maufacturer's website should provide a full list of the specifications for every model that it manufactures. Dell sells desktop and laptop PCs directly to the public from its websites in various countries. Only recently has Dell decided to sell its machines via retail outlets. You can have a look at the specifications of all of its current models on its website. All except the cheapest desktop PCs now come with widescreen LCD monitors, which are ideally suited to watching (widescreen) movies, and also feel more natural when working with panoramic photos and expansive spreadsheets. Standard CRT and LCD screens have an aspect ratio of 4:3 (width 4, height 3), which makes them almost square, and widescreen CRT and LCD usually have an aspect ratio of 16:9, which makes them rectangular. If you are thinking of buying a desktop PC which has a particular make and model of processor, you can visit the following two pages to view tables containing all of the technical specifications (clock speed, supported instruction sets, cache, etc.) and other information, such as the dates of release, of all of the processors made by AMD and Intel up to the present. The further down the list a processor appears, the more recent it is. Desktop CPU Comparison Guide - AMD processors - http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=337&pgno=0 Desktop CPU Comparison Guide - Intel processors - http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=337&pgno=4 Visit the following pages of the same guide to view tables of all of the PCI, AGP, and PCI Express video/graphics cards made by ATI and nVidia, the two major manufacturers of graphics chips (that other graphics-card manufacturers use) and their own graphics cards. Desktop Graphics Card Comparison Guide - nVidia cards - http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=88&pgno=3 Desktop Graphics Card Comparison Guide - ATI cards - http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=88&pgno=1 The operating system (Windows, Linux, OS X), bundled software and trialwareThe vast majority of new desktop an laptop computers now come with Windows 7 preinstalled and operate some kind of recovery system, be it via access to a genuine Win7 DVD, a Recovery Disc that usually restores the system to its factory state, or a recovery partition on the PC's hard disk drive that the recovery system uses from within Windows. Visit the Windows 7 section of this website for more information on it. If you need information on its predecessor, visit the Windows Vista section of this website. Microsoft will stop selling licences for Windows XP after 30 June 2000, but support for it will continue for many years to come. Visit the Windows Support section of this site for pages that deal with Windows XP. Microsoft: June 30 not end of Windows XP support - "Windows XP will remain in what Microsoft calls "mainstream support" to April 14, 2009, and continue in "extended support" though April 8, 2014..." - http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?... Some of the software that is preloaded in many new desktop and laptop PC's is very useful, but much of it is not. Indeed, there can be so much trial and junk software installed that it can slow the system down considerably. Therefore, it is a good idea to remove it by making use of a particular program's own uninstall option, or by using Add or Remove Programs in Windows XP in the Control Panel. In Windows Vista and Windows 7 that feature is now found under the Programs and Features category in the Control Panel. If you have a retail copy of Windows XP or Windows Vista or Windows 7, you could also remove any partitions on the hard disk drive, format it, and install Windows and any other software that you use. Which to buy - a 32-bit or 64-bit desktop PC?There is now so much choice in the components installed in a desktop or laptop pc, it can be so confusing to buyers that they just make a choice on purely on price or the advice of vendors - advice that more often than not is provided by people who don't know what they are talking about. To add to the confusion, you can have a 32-bit system or a 64-bit system. The PC's processor can be a 32-bit processor or a 64-bit processor, and the operating system, which is usually a version of Windows can be a 32-bit or a 64-bit version. All of the latest processors since 2006 from the two major manufacturers - AMD and Intel - are 64-bit and will run a 32-bit or a 64-bit operating system (Windows, Linux, Apple OS X). Note that a 32-bit processor cannot run 64-bit software, so it must use a 32-bit operating system. If you're the average user whose computing needs don't require more than 3.2GB of RAM memory, the limit of a 32-bit operating system, that choice will do just fine. It is compatible with almost all software applications, and compatible hardware device drivers are easily available. 64-bit operating systems will one day be the norm as 32-bit systems are now. However, you should only choose a 64-bit system if the programs you plan to use in the future require a 64-bit system, or more than 3.2GB of RAM memory (i.e., you use 3D-rendering software, intense graphics, etc.). Otherwise, there are currently more drawbacks to running a 64-bit system than there are advantages. The non-availability of 64-bit device drivers for peripherals such as printers, routers, scanners etc., is the major drawback. A 64-bit operating system cannot use 32-bit device drivers, they must all be 64-bit. Note well that although a 64-bit processor can run both 32-bit and 64-bit software, a 64-bit operating system can only run 64-bit software, so your old 32-bit applications will have to be upgraded to their 64-bit versions. The typical computer user is unlikely to notice any gain in performance from a 64-bit system. Visit the Windows Vista and Windows 7 sections of this website for more information on the 64-bit versions of those versions of Windows. Only Windows XP Professional Edition has a 64-bit version; Windows XP Home Edition is only available in a 32-bit version. The long wait for 64-bit PC software continues - "Even though 64-bit PCs have been available for seven years, the promise of 64-bit computing has been delayed by a dearth of 64-bit software." - http://windowssecrets.com/comp/100128/ Refurbished desktop PCsSome brand-name PC manufacturer's, such as Dell and HP, sell refurbished desktop PCs from their websites, so if you're looking for a bargain with a warranty, visit the major manufacturers' websites to find out what is on offer. Dell Outlet - http://www.dell.com/outlet HP Refurbished products - http://www.hp.com/united-states/refurbished/how_to_buy.html If the above links don't work, try entering refurbished + dell + pcs or refurbished + hp + pcs (as is) in the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled). Other companies also sell refurbished PCs made by the major PC manufacturers. To find them for Dell and HP PCs, make use of the same search terms provided above, or enter a suitable search term of your own.
Computer diagnostics: How to solve or fix common PC problemsTo diagnose and troubleshoot specific and general problems with Microsoft's software (Windows 95, 98, Me, XP, Vista, Internet Explorer, and Outlook Express) using the MS Knowledge Base, visit the Diagnostics page on this site. Click a relevant link below to visit the information it describes on this website: 1. - Recovering and repairing Windows XP when a computer crashes or fails to boot 2. - Recovering and repairing Windows Vista when a computer crashes or fails to boot 3. - Windows Vista problems: How to fix problems with Windows Vista 4. - Recover, restore and repair Windows 7 (Win7) when a computer crashes or fails to boot 5. - Windows XP: How to troubleshoot and fix shutdown, restart (reboot), and startup problems 6. - Typical DLL (Dynamic Link Library) device driver problems 7. - Software problems: How to fix problems with Windows, programs, and utilities Also visit the Software pages on this site for more information on specific software-related information and problems. 9. - RAM memory problems: How to fix problems with the Random Access Memory 10. - Hard disk drive problems: How to fix computer hard disk drive (HDD) problems 11. - CD/DVD drive problems: How to fix problems with CD and DVD drives and discs 12. - Processor problems: How fix common processor (CPU) problems 13. - Video/graphics card problems: How fix common computer video and graphics problems 14. - USB and FireWire problems: - How to fix common USB and FireWire problems 15. - Network problems: How to fix common wired and wireless networking and internet problems 16. - Laptop/notebook problems: How to address or fix the most common laptop/notebook problems Optimising/optimizing PC performanceThe web has many sites that provide PC optimisation information, or that provide or run optimisation programs from their sites. You can make use of the Google search box (with its Web radio button enabled) at the top of this page to locate them. Use a search term such as pc + optimization, xp + optimization, vista + optimization and "windows 7" + optimization to locate US sites. To find UK sites, use the British English spelling - optimisation. Monitor your PC's performance today, for FREE! - Monitor system, process and network performance with PC Advisor, on your desktop or online. While PC Performance Monitor is not intended to compete with professional monitoring tools, it provides a free, lightweight solution for end-users who wish to determine whether a hardware upgrade is indicated, for example, or for IT professionals to analyse the effects of new applications, hardware configurations, or Windows version upgrades." - http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/pc-performance-monitor/ PC Pitstop Optimize - "Run our free Optimize scan and identify many common problems that plague most computers. Find out what it takes to get a better performing computer without the expense or difficulty of adding new hardware." - http://www.pcpitstop.com/store/optimize.asp 5 ways to speed up your PC - "By following a few simple guidelines, you can maintain your computer and keep it running smoothly. This article discusses how to use the tools available in Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) and Windows Vista to more efficiently maintain your computer and safeguard your privacy when you're online." - http://www.microsoft.com/AtWork/getstarted/speed.mspx?tapm=A47S01D05
Read the Upgrade Checklists section of this site for information on upgrading desktop PCs of varying ages. You should also read the Laptop PCs section of this site, because much of the information it contains also pertains to desktop PCs. I have both laptop and desktop PCs. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages. The main disadvantage with laptop PCs, as far as I am concerned, is that if one of the hardware components fails in a laptop PC, you usually have to send it back to its manufacturer (or to a reputable laptop repair service). However, because of the modular design of desktop PCs, if a component fails, all you have to do is diagnose which component has failed and buy a replacement from a retail or online store. The only parts of a laptop that you can replace easily are the memory modules and the hard disk drive. If the optical CD/DVD drive fails, you might be able to find a replacement, but removing the old one and fitting the new one could be difficult. Obtaining and replacing the processor, power suppy unit, motherboard, memory modules, video/ graphics card, sound card, hard disk drive(s), and optical CD/DVD drive(s) of a desktop PC is fairly is usually a fairly trouble-free business. Click here! to read a Q&A on the pros and cons of desktop and laptop PCs. Visit the Build Your Own PC section of this site for information on how to accomplish that. Most new desktop PCs now come with a version of Windows 7 preinstalled as the operating system, plus some bundled software. Since the versions of Windows 7 are the best versions of Windows, you should avoid buying a laptop or desktop computer that has a version of Windows Vista preinstalled. For upgrading and repair and restore information, visit the Windows 7 section of this website called: Install, Use, Restore, Recover and Repair Windows 7 - Win7: How It Differs from Windows XP and Vista. If you want to know about Windows and the software applications that PCs use, read the information on the Software section of this site.
Desktop PC specificationsNow I will go through the specifications of a desktop PC one at a time. The PC processorYou should only consider buying a desktop PC that has a dual-core processor made by Intel or AMD, because a dual-core processor (effectively two processors in a single unit) can be set so that each of its two processor cores run particular applications, and software is being written now that can take advantage of using two processor cores instead of the standard single-core processor that all PCs used to have. If you are using software that hasn't been written to take advantage of two processor cores, you can make use of SMP Seesaw by Mike Lin. "SMP Seesaw is a small utility for dual CPU workstations that allows the user to finely tune how Windows balances the processing load between the two CPUs." You should not consider buying a new desktop PC unless it has at least a dual-core Intel Pentium D 820 processor, (preferably an Intel Core 2 Duo dual-core processor), or an AMD Athlon x2 3800+ or higher dual-core processor. If you intend to use the PC to run very demanding video-editing and CAD applications, etc., you should buy one that has the most powerful Intel Core 2 Duo processor that you can afford. The Processors section of this site deals with processors in detail. Video/graphics cardsIf you want to play PC games, budget video/graphics cards based around the nVidia GeForce 7300 GT and ATI Radeon X1600 graphics chips can play the current games. However, if you want to be able to run the games that come out a year to eighteen months from now (July, 2007), you should consider a desktop PC with a more powerful video/graphics card based on the nVidia GeForce 7950 GX2 or ATI Radeon X1900XTX graphics chips. Better still is a system with a dual-graphics-card solution. nVidia's dual-card technology is called SLI and ATi's dual-card technology is called CrossFire. You should avoid purchasing a desktop PC that has its graphics chip built into the motherboard, because integrated graphics, as that is called, usually uses system RAM memory instead of its own dedicated memory that most graphics cards provide. Moreover, integrated graphics is usually an inferior choice even when it has its own dedicated memory. The Video/Graphics section of this site deals with video/graphics cards in detail, and the PC Gaming section deals with that subject in detail.
RAM memory and disk-drive storageIf you want to do video-editing or run applications such as CAD or flight-simulation software, your desktop PC should have as much RAM installed as you can afford. If it comes with 1GB of memory, make sure that it has at least two free DIMM memory slots that can each accommodate a 1GB to 2GB memory module. If you save large video files and digital photos, etc., you should consider a desktop PC with two or more 250GB to 400GB large-capacity SATA hard disk drives. If the PC only comes with a single large-capacity hard drive, you can always install another one internally, or make use of a large-capacity USB or FireWire external hard disk drive. Visit the Hard Disk Drives section of this site for information on internal and external hard drives. You should also consider using a RAID array of drives. Click here! to read the information about RAID solutions on this site. If you need to archive plenty of files or many large files, you'll have know how best to store them. The most popular method is to burn data and graphics files to recordable DVD discs. Click here! to read the information on CD/DVD drives and discs (media) on this site. Note that some desktop and laptop PCs are now coming out with internal Blu-ray optical drives. The recorded and recordable Blu-ray discs have a very much higher capacity than recorded and recordable DVD discs. A BD-ROM drive is a Blu-ray drive that can only read Blu-ray discs. Blu-ray Disc (BD) is Sony's optical disc format designed to replace the current DVD format that beat its competitor, Toshiba's HD DVD. Toshiba is no longer developing HD DVD, soyou should not buy an HD DVD drive or player. A Blu-ray writer uses BD-R (record-once) and BD-RW (record multiple times) discs. Visit the following site for the latest information on Blu-ray. "Welcome to Blu-ray.com, your source for everything related to Blu-ray Disc (BD). We offer Blu-ray reviews, releases, news, guides and forums covering Blu-ray movies, players, recorders, drives, media, software and much more. For more information about Blu-ray, see What is Blu-ray? or the Blu-ray FAQ." LCD PC monitorsCurrent desktop computers come with a 17" or 19" LCD TFT monitor. The old-style CRT monitors can still be purchased, but they have become almost redundant. You can buy 26" LCD monitors, but the larger the screen, the more expensive the monitor, so, if you can find a desktop PC with a 26" monitor, it won't be cheap, because it will also have to have a graphics card that is capable of delivering its native screen resolution. 20" LCD monitors have a native screen resolution of 1600x1200 pixels. They are useful for users who want to edit large digital photos, documents, or spreadsheets, and run two applications side-by-side. For mainly entertainment purposes, a widescreen LCD monitor is the best choice. They can be used to watch widescreen movies and to edit two documents side-by-side. The table below shows the main specifications of LCD TFT monitors.
Details of those specifications and other information are provided on the Monitors section of this site. PC sound and sound cardsIn order to hear the soundtrack of a DVD movie or to hear a PC game's sound effects as they should be heard requires a 5.1 speaker system. However, if you're not interested in using your desktop PC for watching DVD movies or for playing PC games, all you need is a PC with a pair of quality 2.1 stereo speakers. Many desktop PC come with the sound chip integrated on the PC's motherboard. This solution can be used to play music to an acceptable standard if the PC comes with a set of quality stereo speakers. However, if you demand high-quality sound reproduction, or if you want to use a microphone, you'll have to buy a PC that has a dedicated sound card. For more information on PC sound, read the Sound section of this site. USB, FireWire, and memory card readersMost devices, such as printers, keyboards, mice, memory sticks, etc., are connected to a desktop PC via USB ports, so the more of them a PC provides, the better. If you make use of a USB memory stick, it is handy to have USB ports provided at the front of the PC case, otherwise you'll either have to plug it into the back of the case, which is usually hidden out of the way, or make use of a USB hub that has an extension cable. It connects to one USB port (probably at the back of the case) and provides four or more USB ports. FireWire ports are used for devices such as external hard disk drives, external DVD writers, and digital video (DV) cameras. You can usually connect external disk drives to a USB port as well, but you can't use a USB port instead of a FireWire port for a digital video camera (camcorder), so, if you have one, make sure that the PC has a FireWire port. Read the USB/FireWire section of this site for more information on those standards for serial PC peripheral devices. If you have a digital camera and you want to transfer your digital photos to your PC in order to save them to recordable DVDs, you should make sure that any PC you buy has a memory card reader that supports the type of memory card that your digital camera uses. The operating system (Windows XP/Vista), bundled software, and trial softwareMost new desktop and laptop PCs currently come with Windows 7 Home Premium edition pre-installed. A Recovery DVD is usually used to recover the system to the state it was in when it left the factory. However, if you pay extra, the manufacturer can probably provide you with a Windows 7 installation DVD disc. Many desktop PC purchased new come bundled with software packages. A common bundled package is Microsoft Works, which, at the time of writing (December 2009) was at version 9. Note that MS Works 2006 contains Word 2002 (not Word 2003). Other common packages are Cyberlink PowerDVD, Digital Image Standard, Money for personal finances, AutoRoute Essentials, etc. You can make use of the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled) to look for information on any of the packages. Some of the software that is preloaded in many new desktop and laptop PC's is very useful, but much of it is not. Indeed, there can be so much trial and plain junk software installed that it can slow the system down considerably. When first booting a new Gateway laptop, which came preloaded with Windows Vista, it not only took an age to load, but produced at least six trial-ware notices and buy-now windows. There were three different anti-virus software trial running on the machine, one of which was Norton Anti-Virus that more often than not screws a system up. Windows, its device drivers, and a free undemanding anti-virus and anti-spyware scanner, such as Microsoft's Security Essentials, a free software firewall, such as Comodo and an office application, such as the free OpenOffice is all you need on a brand new machine. (Remember to make sure that the Windows Firewall in the Control Panel is turned off if you install a third-party firewall, because you should only have one real-time-monitoring scanner of one type installed and actively monitoring the system. For example, if you have Security Essentials installed, just install the standalone Comodo firewall, not the combined firewall and anti-virus version.) You don’t need a third-party HP/Gateway utility to manage wireless connections, because Windows Vista does everything for you. You don't need Google Desktop, which indexes everything in the data files on the machine, and you don't need Windows Vista’s sidebar. (Windows 7 allows you to install the gadgets of the sidebar one at a time by right-clicking with the mouse pointer on an empty area of the Windows desktop and then clicking on Gadgets. Its window provides a link to download many more free gadgets from the web.) Most people with the technical know-how who have purchased a PC usually remove all of the unnecessary software, or delete all of the partitions on the hard disk drive and the perform a clean installation of Windows. Having as much trial software as possible installed reduces the cost of the computer, but at the expense of performance. Indeed, most brand-name PCs come with so much junk installed on them that Windows Vista is somewhat unjustifiably getting a reputation for being slow. Vista is slower than Windows XP, but it is not significantly slower. Since Windows 7 was only released on October 22, 2009, the situation with regard to it is not clear. However, it is generally agreed that Windows 7 is faster than Vista and can run on lower-specification hardware and less RAM memory. For information on Windows and software in general, visit the Software section of this site. TV tunersSome desktop PCs come with an internal PCI TV tuner card or an external USB TV tuner. All Media Center PCs come with a TV tuner, because they are media centres that provide television, etc. If your PC doesn't come with a TV tuner, you can always buy and install one yourself. You can also use a TV tuner to capture video from a camcorder, or capture VHS video and convert it to a DVD format. Read: USB TV Tuners/PCI Tuner cards: What is the easiest and cheapest way to copy VHS video tapes to DVDs? Click here! to go to the information on TV tuners on this site. Upgrade checklistsVisit the Upgrade Checklists pages on this site for checklists and useful information that cover upgrading the main components of desktop PCs of various ages. Printers, keyboards, and miceClick here! if you want to read some very useful information on printers, keyboards, and mice. Build your own desktop PCOnce you have an understanding of all of the aspects of personal computers, there should be no reason why you could not build your own computer. A step-by-step guide on how you can build your own PC can be found by clicking Build a PC. Click here! if you are looking for information on dial-up modems. In my opinion, my guide is better than most of the other guides I have come across, because it leaves no stone unturned, whereas most of the other guides tend to leave out many of the finer details, obviously out of an erroneous assumption that the reader already possesses that knowledge. An all-too-easy thing to do if you have been involved in building computers for many years, as most of these writers have. COMPUTER SECURITYFor PC security information, visit the main Security section of this site, or make use of the site search engine at the top of each of the main pages to search for references to specific information on, say, viruses, firewalls, etc. PC Buyer Beware! Copyright © Eric Legge 2004-2010. All rights reserved. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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