Considerations:
 

Component Manufacturers that offer good product support - driver development etc. Are there Web sites for any updated information.

Price.

Are all the bells and whistles supplied by the latest expensive technology essential - if not are they cool enough to want anyway? Should we wait and add some bits on later.

Is the system able to be upgraded to meet future requirements?

Will the machine be fit for the desired purpose - will the machine do what we need now - in 6 months time - in 12 months time.

RAM - how much, what speed, what type?

Storage space requirements (Hard drive size)

Modem - Internet/Fax/Answerphone

Printer

Removable storage/Backup (Zip drive)

Compatibility - Will it run similar program to suppliers, peers, and clients will it run the kids games?

Physical - will the machine fit into the space that you need it to? Where will for example the new scanner or Printer go? An external modem would be nice but will it fit? Will there be enough room for papers/manuals or a cup of coffee?

Aesthetics - does the machine look right? What options do I have to change the overall look of the machine?

Ease of use - will the machine/software be productive without having to go on endless courses or without spending a lot of time experimenting?

Local Support - What sort of support is offered - can I call up with problems in normal work-hours - is there any cost for that service? What about outside normal work-hours?

CPU
The central processing unit (CPU) or chip is the computer's engine. There are two main brands for PCs. Intel makes Celeron, Pentium III and Pentium 4 processors. AMD makes Duron, Athlon and Athlon XP (not to be confused with the operating system and word processor called XP).

Processor speed is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz) and ranges from up to 2.8GHz.(Oct 2002) This is the basic indicator of a computer's power. Although it is not directly comparable across brands of chip, bigger is usually better within the same manufacturers range.

Processors also have a "bus speed" (133MHz or more for most newer computers) that determines how fast data moves around on the motherboard (the board containing the main electronic circuitry - see below). This affects the overall performance of your system.

RAM
When a computer is switched on, information is transferred to the random access memory (RAM), ready to be accessed quickly by the processor. The more RAM, the more your computer can do at once. Lack of RAM can result in a slow system that crashes frequently. Cheap RAM can also result in flakey performance.

These days 256MB of RAM is pretty standard, but games, video editing and other multimedia applications may warrant 512MB or more.

RAM comes in several types. PC133 SDRAM is the slowest, followed by PC150 SDRAM, RDRAM and DDR RAM.. Make sure you know what type your system is running and what the upgrade costs are to increase the amount of ram

Hard drive
The hard disc drive (HDD) is where information is stored when it's not in use. Most entry-level computers currently have 30GB.

However, the cost of upgrading to 40GB or more is only around $30, and this will equip you better for storing games and music.

Hard drives come in two speeds: 5400 and 7200 revolutions per minute (rpm). The faster and most expensive speed is helpful for video editing, but for most applications 5400rpm is fine.

Monitor
Monitors vary in size, brand, type (flat or curved, LCD or CRT) and resolution. Size is measured diagonally across the whole face, and usually refers to the physical screen size. The viewable area may be less.

Seventeen-inch monitors have become more common, even on mid-range computers.

Disc drives
Just a couple of years ago Apple shocked the world by dispensing with the floppy disc drive; now, even plain CD-ROM drives are on the way out. Their problem is that they can't do any more than read a disc.

CD burners, however, can not only read a disc, they can also copy data onto one. There are two types. CD writers can make a permanent copy on a "single write" CD-R. CD rewriters can copy over and over to "multi write" CD-RWs, as well as CD-Rs.

A DVD-ROM drive can read DVDs as well as CDs. DVDs hold much more information than CDs - up to eight hours of music compared to 74 minutes on a CD, or an entire feature-length film (a CD can hold only 20 minutes of uncompressed, high-resolution video).

DVD burners are available but are still relatively expensive ($1500ish)

This is one of the areas where computer use is changing rapidly. In our view, it's worth buying a CD burner, but the main use for a DVD-ROM drive is to let you watch movies on your computer.

Don't get carried away with speed. A 16-speed DVD is perfectly adequate for movies or games.

Graphics
A computer "card" is a small card of electronic circuitry, connected to the motherboard but dedicated to a specific task. Video images is one such task, and the quality and speed of graphic images depend on the type of graphics card and memory allocated to it.

If you're playing 3D games or using complex multimedia, aim for a 3D graphics card with its own supply of RAM - 32MB or more.(up to 128 MB at present) Otherwise, an inbuilt chip or 3D video card with at least 8MB RAM should suffice.

Most current 3D graphics cards are made to fit an accelerated graphics port (AGP), a dedicated slot on the motherboard. AGP cards perform better than their PCI (peripheral component interconnect) predecessors.

If you want to connect your TV to your computer, look for a graphics card with video and TV input/output connections. If you want to transfer video from your digital camera or camcorder, consider getting a FireWire card. This speeds up the process.

Sound card
Many systems come with inbuilt sound, so pay for a sound card only if you're intending to watch DVDs, perform video editing or play advanced games.

If your card (or your DVD drive) has support for Dolby 5.1, you can play digital surround sound for a DVD movie. You'll need extra speakers for the true effect, of course, either attached to the computer or perhaps hooked up through your stereo.

Motherboard
This is the board onto which the electronic circuitry and other internal components of the computer are attached.

It's important to choose one with scope for expansion. You need slots for extra RAM and an AGP slot for a graphics card. Upgrading later on will also be more worthwhile if you buy the fastest bus speed for your processor now.

Note that the motherboards for different processor types are not generally compatible. If, for example, you buy a Pentium III, you won't later be able to swap to an AMD processor unless you buy a whole new board.