How to Choose Your First Computer

So you want to buy your first computer? This will show you how to find the right computer for you. You have to buy a computer that fits your budget, your needs. You may or may not need a powerful computer depending on your needs.

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1

Make a budget. Think about how much money you are willing to pay for a computer.
So you want to buy your first computer? This will show you how to find the right computer for you. You have to buy a computer that fits your budget, your needs. You may or may not need a powerful computer depending on your needs.

Edit Steps

1. Make a budget. Think about how much money you are willing to pay for a computer.
2. What purpose will it serve. If it is for basic applications like word processing, then look for a cheap model. If you want to play games, you'll need something with a fast processor, lots of RAM, a large hard drive, and good sound and graphics cards.
3. Where will it be used. If you need to take it all over the place, you'll need a laptop. If you intend to leave it in the office or at home on the desk, then buy a desktop.
4. Who is going to use it? If it's for an office and you have to share it, you might need one with more memory and Windows 7 Professional or Ubuntu. If you will be the only one using it, and mostly for playing games, then Windows 7 Home Premium or Vista Home Basic will serve you well.
5. Choose an operating system.
   • Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, OpenSuse and Mandriva) is stable, fast and free.
   • Microsoft Windows (98, XP, Vista, 7) is the most popular platform in general and for gaming.
   • Mac OS X (Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard) is popular for creative endeavours and multimedia.
6. Choose the hardware. Decide whether you want a desktop machine, a laptop that you can take with you, or a netbook. A netbook is a smaller version of the laptop but more portable and with fewer built-in devices such as CD and DVD drives.
7. Decide on the amount of memory. Decide how much RAM memory you want your computer to have. Many software have a minimum RAM requirement in order to run. So if your software say it requires 2 GB of memory, and your computer has only one GB of memory, it will not run. The more RAM the better, but it will be more expensive. You should at least have 2 GB or more RAM, unless the only thing you are using the computer for is connecting to the internet (in which case you can do with only 1 GB).
8. Research. Scan the Internet, and become more knowledgeable. Compare prices, and whether the computer can be upgraded as needed. Then you are ready to order, either online, or in a computer store.